Joe Khan Seeks Pride in Philadelphia as District Attorney

STANDING in front of the Phila. District Attorney’s Office on Sept. 22, former US Attorney Joe Khan became the first major candidate for citywide public office in the 2017 municipal primary, when he hopes to unseat incumbent DA Seth Williams. Here is his story.

by Cassie Hepler
“Across the country, we’re seeing escalating tensions between law enforcement and the communities they serve. So it’s more important than ever for Philadelphians to be able to have trust and faith in our criminal justice system,” said Joe Khan, “This is a critical moment in our city’s history.”

Khan is an early entrant into the upcoming spring municipal primary-election race – usually tantamount to November victory in Democrat-controlled Philadelphia – by running for Philadelphia district attorney, intending to unseat incumbent Seth Williams. Two weeks ago he quit the US Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia and is now an attorney at Spector, Gadon & Rosen.

“I grew up in Northeast Philly, out in Bustleton. My dad worked for the city as an engineer and my mom was a nurse. My younger brother Tarik is a nurse practitioner as well as a Democratic Committeeperson. My wife Jessica and I have two amazing boys, Sam, 4, and Nathan, 2. We are the luckiest parents in the world,” he said.

Khan attended Philly public schools from kindergarten up at Greenberg ES, Baldi MS and Central HS. He did his undergrad at Swarthmore College and earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he studied under and volunteered for then-Prof. Barack Obama.

“I love this city,” said Khan. “It’s always been home and always will be. As the parents of really young kids who have a beautiful relationship with their grandparents, Jessica and I couldn’t imagine moving anywhere else. And as a prosecutor, being a local guy was always a huge advantage. Knowing the neighborhoods, understanding where people are coming from, respecting their culture and traditions – that’s the kind of stuff they don’t teach in law school,” he said.

But local trust in Philly’s politicians can’t happen if the District Attorney is perceived as being unfair and lacking integrity, said Khan.

“We can’t keep our city safe if the DA isn’t focused on prioritizing violent crimes, like murder, rape and child abuse. And we can’t modernize our DA’s Office if the boss is afraid of new ideas. One of my many inspirations during the Democratic National Convention was the way the Philadelphia police showed the world how to serve the public in a modern American city. I want to restore integrity to a DA’s office that can and should be a national model for balancing our needs for liberty and security,” said Khan.

Khan plans to help unify this city.

“We are a great American city that is on the cusp of realizing its full potential, and we can only keep that going by giving community oriented people reasons to stay and raise families here. So many Philadelphians are embarrassed and outraged by what they’ve learned about the District Attorney’s conduct. I want to replace any cynicism they may feel with a sense of optimism and confidence in their local government,” he said.

Khan worked as an assistant district attorney under Williams’s predecessor Lynne Abraham. He moved from the DA’s Office to the federal Dept, of Justice – a persnickety employer known for high standards.

“I am so proud of my reputation in every corner of the criminal justice system – cops, defense lawyers, prosecutors, and judges – because everyone agrees that I would be a DA who would be fair to everyone. My family is diverse in faith and ethnicity, so I learned pretty fast as a kid how to get along with everybody. I also have the advantage of understanding the complexities of both the DA’s office, which is facing a lot of challenges, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which has some best practices that are worth taking a look at,” Khan said.

Khan’s father immigrated to Philadelphia from Pakistan with a dream of getting a world-class education. He became a citizen and found a good job with the city. And in a classic Philadelphia diversity mix, he notes, “A Muslim kid from Karachi met and married an Catholic girl from West Oak Lane.” His mother was a nurse at Einstein, where Khan was born, and where they ate Thanksgiving dinner when she worked the night shift.

“They saved up for a good house in the Northeast, sent my brother and me to public schools, and taught us to reach for the stars,” he said.

Now he’s raising his children here.

“My kids love the outdoors, and we take full advantage of our public pools, spraygrounds and playgrounds, especially Gorgas Park and Smith Playground. I need to stay pretty fit to keep after them, so I hit the gym every day and squeeze in triathlons and races whenever I can. But the only race I’m focused on now is this one,” said Khan.

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