San Francisco Public Defender

California Supreme Court Affirms That Freedom Cannot Depend on Wealth

San Francisco Public Defender — Thu, 21 May 2026 18:26:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2026 CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS STATEMENT** SAN FRANCISCO — Last month, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Kowalczyk case that provided clarification on when criminal courts in our state can hold a person in custody before trial. The unanimous Kowalczyk decision affirmed that it is unconstitutional to keep a person in…

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Public Defenders Across Country to Wear Black on Thursday to Protest Underfunding

San Francisco Public Defender — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:51:04 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SAN FRANCISCO — Joining with public defenders across the country, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju is calling on everyone who supports the Constitutional right to counsel to wear black on Thursday, April 23 to show solidarity with public defenders.

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Jury Acquits Man After DNA Evidence Indicating Innocence Was Withheld for Over a Year

San Francisco Public Defender — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:46:15 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SAN FRANCISCO—On April 10, a San Francisco jury fully acquitted 38-year-old Pierre Constant of all charges after he spent more than 18 months in jail for an attack in the Tenderloin he did not commit. SFPD officers arrested the wrong person, violated police body-worn camera policies…

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Court of Appeal Affirms S.F. Public Defender Need Not Pay Fine

San Francisco Public Defender — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:22:01 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, April 10, the First District Court of Appeal issued another order staying enforcement of the $26,000 contempt sanction against San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju imposed by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman. A prior stay, issued on April 8…

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Court of Appeal Halts Sanctions Against SF Public Defender

San Francisco Public Defender — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:17:57 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO—On April 8, 2026, the Court of Appeal stayed enforcement of the $26,000 contempt sanction against San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju imposed by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman. The stay is in effect pending further action by the Superior Court which must first rule on challenges brought by the Public Defender before the matter can move on to the higher court…

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Court Dismisses Charges Against Activist Whom Park Ranger Choked During Bob Weir Vigil

San Francisco Public Defender — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:08:40 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SAN FRANCISCO — On March 27, a San Francisco court dismissed all charges against nudism activist Martin Moulton, 59, who was arrested after being choked by a park ranger during a January public vigil for Grateful Dead cofounder Bob Weir. Moulton, a longtime community activist and World…

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San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju to Appeal Sanctions

San Francisco Public Defender — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:45:58 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO — Today in San Francisco Superior Court, numerous chief public defenders from across California stood with San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju and his office, reflecting the nationwide efforts by public defenders to demand resources equal to those of prosecutors in criminal courts. At today’s hearing, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman sanctioned Raju by fining him…

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Complaint Alleges SFPD Racially Profiled Man and Caused Violent Havoc at a Home

San Francisco Public Defender — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:51:41 +0000

Today, the Public Defender’s Office filed a complaint with the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability asserting that two SFPD officers violated numerous police department policies when they racially profiled, used excessive force, and carried out illegal detention and arrests at a private home in August 2025. More specifically, the officers treated a Black man as a suspect based solely on his race and later slammed his face into the pavement; grabbed another man by the neck and punched him repeatedly; and pepper-sprayed a disabled, wheelchair-bound woman during a family gathering in a Hunter’s Point home.

S.F. Public Defender Responds to Court’s Finding of Contempt over Unavailability

San Francisco Public Defender — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:15:46 +0000

On March 10, 2026, S.F. Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman made a finding of contempt against San Francisco’s elected Public Defender Mano Raju after the judge ordered the Public Defender’s Office to take on more cases than would be ethically sound. The judge threatened monetary sanctions to be determined at a hearing on March 24. Here is a statement from Public Defender Raju: “The San…

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SF Jury Acquits Man Who Defended Elderly Uncle From Knife-Wielding Stranger

San Francisco Public Defender — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:11:02 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 9, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco jury has acquitted Irie Benson, 48, of attempted murder charges after determining that he shot a knife-wielding stranger to protect himself and his elderly uncle. Prosecutors also charged Benson with personal use of a firearm, and had continuously fought to keep him in jail—costing…

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