Judge Holds San Francisco Public Defender in Contempt of Court, Orders $26,000 in Sanctions
Judge Harry Dorfman denied a request for appellate review of his previous decision to hold San Francisco Public Defender Manohar Raju in contempt and ordered monetary... Read more.
Court Watch: San Francisco Judge Denies Motion to Reduce Auto-Burglary Charge During Preliminary Hearing
Judge Lianne M. Dumas denied a motion to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor, despite arguments highlighting the nonviolent nature of the accused's past criminal... Read more.
California AG Opposes Trump Plan to Link Race to College Admissions Data
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of 17 other attorneys general have submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education opposing... Read more.
Chief Attorney Says Public Defender’s Office Will Not Comply with Court Order to Take More Cases
Chief Attorney Matt Gonzalez argued in court that the judge has no authority to order the Public Defender's Office to take on more felony cases, warning such an... Read more.
Public Defender Argues Lack of Capacity as Judge Considers Ordering More Felony Cases
The San Francisco Public Defender's Office argued that it does not have the capacity to take on additional felony cases due to excessive caseloads, and warned that... Read more.
COURT WATCH: Eight-Year-Old DUI Case Raises Late Discovery and Fair Trial Concerns in San Francisco Courts
The defense argued that the late disclosure of critical evidence in an eight-year-old DUI case violated the accused's right to a speedy and fair trial, but the judge... Read more.
Youth Incarceration Drops 75% Since 2000; Racial Disparities Still Remain
Despite a 75% decline in youth incarceration since 2000, racial and ethnic disparities remain in the arrests, sentencing and detention of youth, with youth of color... Read more.
DA Argues Public Defender’s Staffing Shows ‘Abundance’ as Unavailability Hearings Proceed
Assistant District Attorney Ana Gonzalez argued that the San Francisco Public Defender's Office improperly declared itself unavailable to take on more cases, while... Read more.
Conflicts Panel Says San Francisco Public Defense Crisis Could Have Been Avoided
The San Francisco Public Defender's Office's inability to take on many new cases has led to a public defense crisis, which could have been avoided with earlier collaboration... Read more.
Calls for Clemency in Oklahoma Death Penalty Case Amid Concerns of Fairness
Oklahoma faces a test of fairness and justice as the Nov. 13 execution of Tremane Wood approaches, with concerns raised about the conduct of his defense attorney... Read more.