Penn Carey Law lecturer Joe Khan is currently campaigning in the race for the next Pennsylvania Attorney General (Photo from Penn Carey Law).
A Penn lecturer will face off against four other candidates in a hotly contested Democratic primary to serve as Pennsylvania’s next attorney general.
Former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, who has been a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School since 2015, is one of seven total candidates — two of whom are vying for the Republican nomination — for the position of the state's top prosecutor, which is on the ballot on April 23. Khan, a leading contender, spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian about his connection to the University and his campaign for attorney general.
The role of Pennsylvania attorney general is widely regarded to be a stepping stone for higher positions, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro held the role prior to his election as governor in 2023. The Democratic Party has not endorsed a candidate, contributing to the absence of a clear frontrunner in the race.
Khan’s connection to the University extends beyond his position on the adjunct faculty of Penn Carey Law, where he has taught trial advocacy. Khan’s father, Zia Khan, received a master's degree in engineering from Penn in 1965, and his brother — 2022 nursing Ph.D. graduate and Pennsylvania state Rep. Tarik Khan — studied at Penn.
A Penn Carey Law spokesperson told the DP that Khan has not taught at the school since fall 2020.
“Penn is very much a big part of my family’s life," Khan said, adding that he was happy to be welcomed back when he had the opportunity to begin teaching at the University.
Khan — who received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College and his J.D. at the University of Chicago — said much of his career trajectory has been influenced by his time as a student. He specifically cited one law professor who helped him come to terms with his mixed identity as the “son of a Muslim and a Catholic [who] was raised in a Jewish neighborhood."
The professor, who shared much of his background, taught Khan that "always having to build bridges to another culture in every conversation you have with someone wouldn't be a handicap for me as a public interest lawyer. It would actually be my superpower," he said.
"My professor’s name was Barack Obama," Khan added.
Khan said that his desire to run for attorney general stemmed from the work that he did while serving as Bucks County solicitor in 2020 — when citizens' "right to vote came under attack by Donald Trump and his allies.”
“Part of what I saw my job as was to figure out how I could bring together my counterparts in other counties in Pennsylvania so that we could work together and collectively defend the right to vote for all of our constituents,” Khan said. "And it was really hard work."
Khan attributed his success in fighting these battles, at least in part, to Shapiro, who was serving as Pennsylvania's attorney general at the time — describing him as "a wonderful leader."
“If you had replaced him [Josh Shapiro] with the likes of Rudy Giuliani … it would have been a complete disaster for our democracy," Khan said. "Even though we were successful, I know that the other side has learned from their mistakes, and they’re preparing for round two. And I know that … we need to win this office.”
In addition to managing “complicated election litigation” on day one, Khan shared several other goals he would prioritize should he be elected Pennsylvania’s attorney general — specifically citing housing and environmental justice.
Khan said that he wants to start “Pennsylvania’s first ever housing justice unit” to address the housing crisis using the enforcement powers of the attorney general's office — as well as other problems faced by "everyday Pennsylvanians."
He added that every Pennsylvanian has a constitutional right to a clean environment, touting his previous enforcement of this right while he served as Bucks County solicitor. Khan now currently serves in private practice.
“Pennsylvania’s environmental rights amendment is a superpower for an attorney general with a vision and experience to use it,” Khan said.
Khan stressed that college students — such as those at Penn — should be interested in the race for attorney general, saying that it is “because [young people's] rights are at stake.”
“For those who are in college, who are about to step into this real world where wages are still too low, where it is still too hard to own a home — these are the fights that I think the attorney general ought to be involved in,” he said.
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