A federal judge has refused to recuse himself from a case in which he referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and a deputy to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. Judge Paul Diamond of the U.S. District Court denied the DA office's motion to force his recusal, calling it "frivolous" and saying the office's disagreement with his rulings was not a basis for bias.
The underlying dispute stems from testimony by four DAO supervisors who said Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stiegler urged them to make false representations to the court to "protect the office." The judge disqualified both from the case and referred the matter to the DOJ. In his order, Diamond noted that the DAO failed to object to most rulings during the hearing and only challenged them after an unfavorable decision.
Diamond also rejected the DA's attempt to submit an unsworn declaration attacking the witnesses, saying it seemed intended to persuade the media rather than the court. He pointed out that Krasner neither testified nor offered a sworn affidavit, despite being invited to call witnesses. The judge concluded that the allegations, if true, amount to serious attorney misconduct and that the investigation remains necessary.