DA Larry Krasner calls lawmakers ‘lawbreakers’ for delaying vote on felony murder bills
April 23, 2026
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Philadelphia’s top prosecutor on Thursday accused state lawmakers of effectively defying the courts, as a window narrows for the legislature to respond to a landmark ruling that struck down mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder convictions.
At a news conference, District Attorney Larry Krasner said lawmakers’ failure so far to act on proposed parole legislation amounted to “lawbreaking,” warning that time was running short to repair what he called an unconstitutional sentencing scheme.
His remarks came 28 days after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional.
The court gave lawmakers 120 days to craft a framework to address its ruling and apply it to those serving such sentences….
He was joined by several criminal justice advocates, including Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the Abolitionist Law Center, and John Pace, associate director of reentry and engagement at the Youth Sentencing and Re-entry Project. Both men had once been sentenced to life in prison and were later released after U.S. Supreme Court rulings barred mandatory life sentences for juveniles and made those decisions retroactive.”