Longtime Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan, who led the city’s lower courts through the chaos of a pandemic shutdown, has submitted his letter of resignation from the bench and sources close to him say he plans to launch a campaign for district attorney.
Dugan, 64, sent a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday, saying his final day on the job would be Dec. 11, according to a copy obtained by The Inquirer. The letter did not say why he was resigning, but sources close to Dugan say he intends to challenge DA Larry Krasner in the upcoming Democratic primary election.
Rumors have swirled about his interest in the race for months. Sitting judges are barred from publicly engaging in politics, so Dugan needed to step down before moving to formally launch a campaign. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Dugan is expected to announce his candidacy within weeks, the sources said. Krasner is said to have plans to run again but hasn’t declared that intention publicly.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/patrick-dugan-district-attorney-philadelphia-20241206.html