Krasner tells the court he and his supervisors "acted with integrity"
Larry KrasnerDistrict Attorney of Philadelphia
In an October 9 court filing supporting his motion to remove Judge Diamond from the case, Krasner said he and his supervisory assistants, whom the filing names as including Katherine Ernst and Steven Wildberger, acted with integrity in seeking to withdraw the office's erroneous brief.
Responding to
Krasner and Stiegler pressured Conviction Integrity Unit prosecutors to blame a departed colleague for errors and to present a false narrative to the court about the DAO's internal handling of Dennis Johnson's habeas petition -- conduct that "is tantamount to a prima facie showing" of false statements, false declarations under oath, perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.
“DA Krasner and his supervisory assistants acted with integrity in seeking to withdraw the erroneous brief, correct the errors, and change position to oppose a new trial”
Original text
Reporting
Other statements by Larry Krasner in this case
- Larry Krasner calls Judge Diamond's accusations "baseless" in a sworn declarationEarlier: Challenged the characterization
- Larry Krasner tells two prosecutors their account is "factually misleading"Earlier: Challenged the characterization
- Krasner denies criminal and deliberate wrongdoing in WHYY interviewLater: Denied
Where this statement fits
Did Larry Krasner Pressure Staff to Mislead a Federal Judge About a Murder-Conviction Appeal?
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Matthew Stiegler, chief of his office's Conviction Integrity Unit, may have pressured subordinate prosecutors to blame a departed colleague and present a false account to the court about an internal dispute over a 2022 concession in a habeas corpus case, and referred Krasner, Stiegler, and the District Attorney's Office to the U.S. Attorney's Office for investigation. Krasner disputes the judge's findings and says he will appeal.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Reply in support of the District Attorney's Office's motion asking Judge Paul S. Diamond to recuse, filed October 9, 2026 and signed by District Attorney Lawrence S. Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Thomas Gaeta. Footnote 1 names the supervisory assistants as Katherine Ernst, Steven Wildberger, David Napiorski and Peter Andrews. Read in full from the CourtListener (RECAP) copy.
Reporting
About this source
Original reporting on Katherine Ernst and Steven Wildberger resigning late October 6 after Krasner declined their requested changes to filings.
Before the quotation
From the District Attorney's Office's October 9, 2026 reply in support of its motion asking Judge Diamond to recuse, signed by Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Thomas Gaeta. A footnote names the supervisory assistants as Katherine Ernst, Steven Wildberger, David Napiorski and Peter Andrews. Ernst and Wildberger's resignations had taken effect late on October 6, after Krasner declined to change how his filings described them.
After the quotation
The sentence continues with Krasner's description of the court's finding: that considering a review of Jaclyn Mason's other work for errors warrants a criminal investigation. In an email reply to Ernst and Wildberger's memo, Krasner had accused them of insubordination.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the conduct under scrutiny, Krasner disputes the court's account by saying he and his supervisors acted with integrity in correcting the erroneous brief. He contests how his conduct is described and does not argue that pressuring staff would be justified, so the label is challenges characterization.
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- People and groups discussed
- Paul S. Diamond
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U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia declines to comment on Judge Diamond's referral of Krasner
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
“The U.S. Attorney's Office declines to comment.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Krasner tells the court he and his supervisors "acted with integrity"". First published: 2026-10-12. Last updated: 2026-10-12. https://disputeindex.com/events/5621-in-an-october-9-court-filing-supporting-his