Larsen, who had been prescribed drugs for clinical anxiety and depression since the 1960s, arranged for his doctor to write prescriptions to court employees because he had wanted to keep his treatment a secret while holding public office.
Two months later the trial court sentenced Justice Larsen to one year of probation for each count and removed him from office for the "infamous" crime of which he was convicted.
[12] Amid these troubles and feuds involving Supreme Court justices in the early 1990s,[13] specifically including Larsen,[14] Pennsylvania voters sought to limit the "King's Bench" power.
The upheaval surrounding Larsen's time on the bench served as a catalyst for a much-needed change in the state judicial system.
[14] Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts credits the public turmoil he caused with leading to the overwhelming passage of a constitutional amendment that strengthened the way judges are disciplined for misconduct.
[15] On August 11, 2014, Larsen died of lung cancer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 79, just fifteen days shy of what would have been his 80th birthday.