FILE – Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Philadelphia, on Oct. 13, 2022. The separation of powers, and where legislative authority stops and the court’s begins, were central to arguments Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, in court over a lawsuit by Krasner, Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor, challenging the state Legislature’s attempt to remove him from office. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court is weighing whether to step in and stop the Legislature’s impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia’s top elected prosecutor. The panel of judges sound wary about potentially violating the separation of powers in a lawsuit by Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner challenging an attempt by Republican lawmakers to remove him from office. The four-judge Commonwealth Court panel, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, presided over nearly two hours of arguments Thursday. The trial in the state Senate is set to begin Jan. 18. The case is part of a wave of efforts across the country to remove progressive prosecutors as violent crime rose nationally.