28 Facts About Larry Krasner

Lawrence Samuel Krasner was born on March 30,1961 and is an American lawyer who is the 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia.

Larry Krasner campaigned on a platform to reform elements of the criminal justice system and to reduce incarceration.

Larry Krasner's policies include ending criminal charges against those caught with marijuana possession, ending cash bail for those accused of some misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, reducing supervision for parolees, and seeking more lenient sentences for certain crimes.

In 2022, Larry Krasner was impeached by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on multiple counts; several counts related to various alleged "dereliction[s] of duty" and "misbehavior[s] in office", and another alleged that Larry Krasner had attempted to obstruct the legislative probe that led to his impeachment.

Larry Krasner's father, William Krasner, was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, an author of crime fiction, and his mother, Juanita Frazier, was an evangelical Christian minister.

Larry Krasner graduated from Conestoga High School in 1979, from the University of Chicago in 1983, and from Stanford Law School in 1987.

Larry Krasner opened his law firm in 1993 and worked as a criminal defense lawyer in Philadelphia for 30 years, specializing in civil rights and frequently representing protestors pro bono.

Less than three weeks before the primary, a political action committee supporting Larry Krasner's campaign received a $1.45 million contribution from billionaire George Soros.

Larry Krasner campaigned against existing policies that had resulted in disproportionately high numbers of minority males being jailed.

Larry Krasner was a featured speaker at the 2017 People's Summit.

Larry Krasner's victory was considered to be likely due to his strong support from predominantly African-American wards and continued support from progressive activist groups.

On February 18,2025, Larry Krasner officially launched his bid for a third term as Philadelphia District Attorney.

In February 2018, Larry Krasner announced that law enforcement would no longer pursue criminal charges against those caught with marijuana possession.

That same month, Larry Krasner instructed prosecutors to stop seeking cash bail for those accused of some misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

Larry Krasner said that it was unfair to keep people in detention simply because they could not afford bail.

Larry Krasner announced that the DA's office had filed a lawsuit against a number of pharmaceutical companies for their role in the city's opioid epidemic.

In March 2018, it was reported that Larry Krasner's staffers were working on creating a sentence review unit to review past cases and sentences and to seek resentencing in instances where individuals were given unduly harsh punishments.

That same month, Larry Krasner instructed prosecutors to reduce sentence lengths to defendants making pleas, refuse to bring certain low-level charges, and publicly explain their reasoning for pursuing expensive incarcerations to taxpayers footing the bills.

In 2018, some judges rejected the reduced sentences which Larry Krasner's prosecutors had sought for juveniles who had previously been sentenced to life in prison.

In June 2018, Larry Krasner called for the compiling of a comprehensive list of police officers who had lied while on duty, used excessive force, racially profiled, or violated civil rights, an unprecedented move to spotlight dishonest police officers and check their future courtroom testimony.

In 2019, Larry Krasner filed a motion in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to declare capital punishment in Pennsylvania unconstitutional.

Larry Krasner's office dropped drug charges after Elliott failed to appear in court, choosing to approve an arrest warrant for Tyree's murder instead.

Larry Krasner pulled down the mask of one woman before spraying her in the face, sprayed another woman at point blank range, and sprayed a man numerous times in the face while he lay on the ground.

In September 2021, Larry Krasner started an Alternative Felony Diversion program for people charged with illegal possession of firearms.

In October 2024, Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's America PAC, alleging that a $1 million giveaway promoted by the PAC constituted an illegal lottery.

Larry Krasner subsequently filed a petition with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania to halt the select committee's impeachment probe.

Larry Krasner was the first person to be impeached by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since state Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen in 1994.

Larry Krasner has a 40 percent partnership stake in Tiger Building LP, which owns the Princeton Club building among other Philadelphia properties.