News and Press Releases

San Francisco—The jury hung 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal in a case involving a man who defended himself against a group of assailants on Valentine’s Day 2016, Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today. Richard Contreras, 30, was charged with two homicides, an attempted homicide, carjacking and assault after he fired at men in a group at the Twin Peaks...

A person of color who was prosecuted after he was barred entry to his own apartment building by a security guard that didn’t believe that he lived there has been acquitted of all charges, Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today. Shaun Huddleston, 52, was facing up to two and half years in jail for battery and resisting arrest after a...

Los Angeles—The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office was honored with the prestigious “Champions of Public Defense” Award on Friday from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) for its work on behalf of bail reform. The award was presented at NACDL’s Race Matters II Conference in Los Angeles and recognizes “an individual or organization for exceptional efforts in making...

PUBLIC DEFENDER JEFF ADACHI SWORN IN FOR FIFTH TERM “We’ve come together on this special day/Send a message loud and clear”- Earth, Wind, & Fire San Francisco, CA— It might have been raining outside, but inside was all Earth, Wind & Fire as musician and singer Tasche warmed up the crowd gathered at the fifth inauguration of San Francisco Public...

Tenants’ Rights Attorney Finally Gets Justice San Francisco—A tenant’s rights attorney who fatally injured a man in self-defense in the Tenderloin was acquitted of on all counts today, Public Defender Jeff Adachi has announced. Carlos Argueta, 35, was tried for second degree robbery and murder after he became involved in a tussle outside a bar on Sixth Street in September...