SF Public Defender Mano Raju Applauds SF Police Commission Budget Vote – Echoes Public Call for Fundamental Change  “I was very glad to see our San Francisco Police Commissioners unanimously voting to reject the police budget at 2:30am this morning after 9 hours of public comment, over 99 percent of which featured San Franciscans of...Read More

Photo: Donis with his youngest of three children and his wife, following his release by court order. Judge Orders ICE to Maintain Pandemic Protections at Detention Centers SAN FRANCISCO — This afternoon a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in response to a class action legal challenge by immigrants detained at two California immigration detention...Read More

SF PUBLIC DEFENDER MANO RAJU CALLS FOR MAJOR REFORMS AFTER VIDEO SURFACES SHOWING SFPD OFFICER WITH KNEE ON TEENAGER’S NECK  The country is mourning after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, an unarmed Black man accused of a nonviolent offense.  What happened to George Floyd is happening all over the United States with miserable...Read More

Court Finds Likely Constitutional Violation in ICE’S Detention of Immigrants in Two Cramped Detention Centers during Pandemic; Order Establishes Process for Court to Consider Releases of Detained Immigrants SAN FRANCISCO — In an emergency order, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in response to a challenge by immigrants detained at two California immigration...Read More

After Long Battle, Public Defender Successfully Secures Release of Transgender Client from ICE Detention SAN FRANCISCO – Yesterday, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office secured the release of Lexis Hernandez Avilez, a 41-year-old transgender woman who spent the last 17 months detained by ICE, most recently in Texas.  Her story made headlines in January of...Read More

April 21, 2020 DETAINED IMMIGRANTS FILE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST ICE, DEMAND IMMEDIATE RELEASES FROM EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITIONS DURING GLOBAL PANDEMIC  Lawsuit Also Defends First Amendment Right to Hunger Strike Over Dangerous Conditions SAN FRANCISCO – Immigrants detained at the Mesa Verde Detention Facility and the Yuba County Jail filed a class action lawsuit against...Read More

In response to the serious public health concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), our office has been leading the way in advocating for the health and safety of those who come into contact with the criminal legal system and who may be incarcerated in local jails, juvenile detention, immigration detention, and prisons....Read More

San Francisco Public Defender Statement on  First Confirmed Case of Coronavirus in San Francisco County Jail “While we knew it was nearly inevitable the virus would make its way into the jail, I am still deeply concerned to learn today that an incarcerated person in the San Francisco County Jail system tested positive for Coronavirus....Read More

San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju’s Statement on the Board of Supervisors Legislation to Close CJ4 April 14, 2020 “After months of collaborating with Supervisor Fewer’s office and community partners on the legislation to close County Jail 4, I am proud that it will be introduced at the Board of Supervisors meeting today. County Jail...Read More

Public Defender Mano Raju Says “Zero Bail” measure is critical tool to prevent spread of COVID19 in jails throughout the state Today’s Emergency Bail Schedule implementation means people should be released from jails throughout the state starting at 5pm San Francisco — On April 6, the Judicial Council of California voted to implement a set...Read More