Pennsylvania’s state Senate voted Wednesday to postpone a trial seeking to remove Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney on the heels of a court decision that said the impeachment articles don’t meet the constitutionally required standard (article available here).
The motion was approved unanimously in the Republican-controlled Senate and indefinitely postpones the trial of Democrat Larry Krasner, which had been scheduled to begin Jan. 18.
It was thrown into doubt by last month’s ruling by the Commonwealth Court, who wrote that the impeachment articles approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives didn’t rise to the constitutionally required standard of “misbehavior in office” to remove a public official from office.
Spearheaded by the GOP, the House voted to impeach Krasner in November. Krasner has dismissed the House Republicans’ claims as targeting at his policies and sued to halt the trial. Democrats say Republicans are abusing their legislative authority.
Krasner, who was overwhelmingly reelected by Philadelphia voters in 2021, has not been charged with a crime or been sanctioned by a court.
The appellate court agreed with Krasner that the seven claims against him do not rise to the impeachable standard of “misbehavior in office.” Indeed, the court held that three of the claims unconstitutionally intrude upon the state Supreme Court’s exclusive authority to govern the conduct of lawyers in Pennsylvania and that two of the claims improperly challenge Krasner’s discretionary authority as the district attorney.