News and Press Releases

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is celebrating its 90th Anniversary, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced. In 1921, the California Legislature passed the Public Defender Act after Clara Foltz, California’s first female lawyer, spent years advocating for the creation of Public Defenders’ offices to provide legal assistance to poor people in criminal law cases. Later in 1921, responding...

San Francisco, CA — A young man who was accused of theft of an iPhone was acquitted on November 16, 2011, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced. Ronnie Morrisette, 26, was acquitted of robbery, assault, false imprisonment, and four lesser charges. After a week-long trial, the jury deliberated for less than a day before reaching unanimous acquittals on all...

San Francisco, CA — Revealing evidence of a fabricated police report, excessive force against a blameless merchant, and police theft, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi today called on the SFPD to: (1) launch an immediate investigation into new reports of police misconduct, and (2) to institute a zero tolerance policy for officers who steal or who lie in police...

A man facing life in prison for a 2009 shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured was acquitted of all charges, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.

A party bus reveler whose trip to North Beach ended in his injury and arrest was acquitted of all charges stemming from the incident, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.