Court upholds law taking jurisdiction over mass transit crimes from Philly’s district attorney

By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court is turning aside a legal challenge by Philadelphia’s elected district attorney to a law establishing a new special prosecutor to handle crimes on the city’s mass transit system. A divided Commonwealth Court on Friday turned down District Attorney Larry Krasner’s argument that the law passed late last year violates the state Constitution. Krasner sued over the law in January, arguing it unconstitutionally stripped him of geographic jurisdiction and removed his core prosecutorial functions, among other grounds. The law directs the state attorney general to appoint the new special prosecutor, who can’t have worked for that office or Krasner’s in the past six years.