Nine progressive prosecutors are launching a coalition to share strategy for prosecuting federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner announced Tuesday.
The organization, which is called the Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach, will also include Mary Moriarty, the elected prosecutor in Minneapolis. Its acronym, F.A.F.O., references a slang term for negative consequences, and its formation was spurred by “growing concerns about warrantless entries, unlawful detentions, and coercive enforcement tactics by federal agents,” according to a news release.
[…] Prosecuting any police officer raises significant obstacles, since officers are authorized to use deadly force when they reasonably perceive a serious threat. The Constitution’s supremacy clause gives federal agents additional protection, though they do not have absolute immunity, as Vice President JD Vance initially claimed. They can ask for a federal court to shield them from prosecution if their actions were authorized under federal law, and if they can show that they did “no more than what was necessary and proper.”
Mr. Krasner said the new organization would provide “mutual support” to prosecutors who are “up against the might of the federal government.” So far, nine prosecutors from around the country have signed on.