On August 23, 2008, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office will co-sponsor the Fifth Annual MAGIC Back-to-School Celebration and Backpack Giveaway. This year, 4,000 backpacks will be distributed to children and youth ages 5-17 in Bayview-Hunter's Point and the Western Addition/Fillmore.Read More

Omeed Aziz Popal, 31, was found not guilty by reason of insanity by Judge Carol Yaggy today, at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street. Popal was facing attempted murder charges in connection with a series of alleged hit-and-run incidents involving sixteen people in San Francisco on August 29, 2006.Read More

The felony case against DeAndre Barney was dismissed on July 10, 2008 after he was proven factually innocent of armed robbery based on San Francisco community safety camera evidence. Video footage showed that the car Barney was driving was not the getaway car, as alleged by police. Barney was represented by Deputy Public Defender Randall...Read More

The Daily Journal has selected Teresa Caffese, Chief Attorney of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, as one of California’s Top 75 Women Litigators.Read More

Omeed Aziz Popal, 30, pled not guilty by reason of insanity today, at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street.Read More

Jon Osaki, Executive Director of the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), will receive the 2008 Juvenile Justice "Hero" award for his outstanding work supporting youth in San Francisco. The award will be presented by Public Defender Jeff Adachi at the Fifth Annual Juvenile Justice Summit: "Less Talk, More Action: Solutions for Safe Schools and Safe...Read More

San Francisco, CA – A 26-year-old San Francisco woman was acquitted twice by two separate juries. Tried twice over a one-month period, the woman had been charged by prosecutors with loitering with the intent to commit prostitution on June 8, 2007 and October 23, 2007 in San Francisco. Prosecutors argued that the woman had been...Read More

San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Behavioral Health Court (BHC) has been selected by the Council on Mentally Ill Offenders (COMIO) to receive a 2008 Best Practices Award. BHC was one of three projects selected for this statewide honor. BHC redirects mentally ill offenders from jail and into intensive case management programs in the...Read More

San Francisco, CA – Public Defender Jeff Adachi has been named a recipient of the 2007 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award. California Lawyer magazine will recognize Public Defender Adachi for the impact of his work in the field of prisoner reentry. The recipients of the CLAY Awards are featured in the March 2008...Read More