Public defenders and defense attorneys from around California met in San Francisco today to discuss how budget cuts are affecting their work. What cuts are public defenders being asked to make, and how are those cuts impacting their ability to defend people accused of crimes who can't afford a lawyer?Read More

San Francisco Bay Guardian, Politics blog: While Mayor Gavin Newsom gallivants around the country...other city leaders are doing the hard work of restoring San Francisco values. On Wednesday, there are two shining examples of this uphill battle that take place on opposite ends of Civic Center Plaza. First, SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi hosts “Justice...Read More

Public Defenders, Criminal Justice Leaders from around U.S. to Convene in San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO – Over 300 people in support of public defense will gather on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 to hear Judge Thelton Henderson, senior federal judge of the Northern District of California, speak to the importance of the Sixth Amendment right to...Read More

San Francisco Examiner: A summit on the crucial role played by public defenders comes at a time of tension between the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and the mayor’s office.Read More

by Jeff Adachi There hasn’t been a lot happening at the Community Justice Center, so I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks.  There is no surge of cases to report.  The caseload flow is still very low, and although the court is now handling “in-custody” cases at the Hall of Justice in the mornings,...Read More

San Francisco Chronicle op-ed: In the famous 1963 case of Gideon vs. Wainwright, the Supreme Court unanimously held that the state must provide lawyers for those charged with serious crimes who cannot afford them. The court recognized that "lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries" and that a fair trial was impossible without counsel...Read More

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi recently announced that his office will be compelled to refuse appointments in some major felony cases under a 25 percent budget cut proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors. Critics suggest that Adachi is being unreasonable and that he is not a "team player." Adachi's stand...Read More

The fact that the criminal justice system is, at times, unjust in its outcomes is rarely questioned. Only in the extreme cases, where a person is wrongfully imprisoned for a serious crime, will there be some coverage in the media. But day-to-day injustices are rarely exposed. Because of this, often the public is unaware of...Read More

Budget cuts and soaring caseloads are pushing teetering public defender's offices closer to the brink of collapse. However, after years of being under-resourced and overwhelmed, public defenders are finally pushing back.Read More

In the landmark 1963 case Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a poor person accused of a crime is entitled to competent and effective legal representation. However, the current economic crisis, rising recession-related crime, and soaring unemployment rates threaten to erode this basic right, which is guaranteed by the U.S. and California...Read More