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.
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.
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 […]
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.
Today in SF 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, SF Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman sanctioned Raju by fining him $26,000—calculated as $1,000 for the 26 people the Public Defender’s office has declined to represent since January, when Dorfman ordered the office to take on those cases.
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.
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. […]
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. Jurors deliberated for less than two hours.
PRESS RELEASE: After a month-long trial, a jury acquitted Antoine Watson of first- and second-degree murder and elder abuse from a highly publicized January 2021 incident. The jury convicted Watson of involuntary manslaughter and assault for pushing Vicha Ratanapakdee, who later died from the fall. Jurors reviewed extensive evidence that refuted widespread misinformation that circulated […]
The Coalition to End Biased Stops is highlighting new data showing that the S.F. ‘Pretext Stops’ policy has reduced racial profiling. The percentage of Black drivers stopped for non-moving violations (including the nine that are restricted under the pretext stop policy; ex. having a broken taillight) has dropped by 10%. Black drivers are no longer the […]
The Adachi Project’s New Film Series “Off the Record” Uses Art to Tell Untold Public Defender Client Stories. The films were screened at the Roxie Theater and highlight the vital work of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. On Dec. 2, 2025, the Adachi Project screened three new films to a full house at the […]