FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2021
CONTACT: Yessica Gonzalez | yessica.gonzalez@sfgov.org | (323) 379-2032; Valerie Ibarra | valerie.ibarra@sfgov.org | (628) 249-7946
**MEDIA ADVISORY for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st**
San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju and Impacted Family Members Sue San Francisco Superior Court for Illegally Denying People their Right to a Speedy Trial
WHAT:
On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, join San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, members of his office, and community members for a rally and press conference to denounce indefinite detention without trial. On September 15, 2021, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, along with four taxpayer plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against the San Francisco Superior Court, its presiding judge, and its chief executive officer, for the Court’s mass violations of speedy trial rights. The plaintiffs are represented by the law firms of Olivier Schreiber & Chao LLP and Miller Shah LLP.
WHEN:
Tuesday, September 21, 12:00 p.m. PT
WHERE:
Outside the San Francisco Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street, San Francisco, California, 94103.
WHO:
● Mano Raju, San Francisco Public Defender
● Mothers and family members whose loved ones are being held in jail past their trial deadlines.
● Allied Community Organizations, Western Regional Advocacy Project
WHY:
As of August 30, 2021, hundreds of legally innocent people are waiting for trials – months past their legal deadline for trial. More than one hundred of them are in jail, locked in their cells for 23 hours a day. Some have been locked up without trial for a year or more past their trial deadlines. The San Francisco Superior Court’s disregard for basic human and legal rights has created a humanitarian crisis. The lawsuit seeks to end the Court’s now-routine practice of continuing criminal cases for months past the trial deadline while it holds jury trials in a variety of non-urgent civil cases for money damages, and a ruling requiring the Court to eliminate the backlog of criminal cases through all means necessary. Open all SF courtrooms now!
