Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury reported: California Supreme Court reinstates bail reform from landmark Humphrey ruling – 2018 appellate decision moved trial judges away from ensuring court appearances with fixed bail schedules, toward non-cash alternatives. Excerpt: In lauding the Humphrey ruling, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju also said the remaining question of...Read More

Megan Cassidy of the San Francisco Chronicle reported: San Francisco to close crumbling, unsafe county jail sooner than expected in face of coronavirus threat. “The closure of County Jail 4 has been a long time coming,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, who linked the jail’s closure to broader criminal justice reform efforts.“The COVID-19...Read More

Robert Salonga interviewed SF Public Defender Mano Raju for the San Jose Mercury article: Attorney General asks California Supreme Court to restore Humphrey bail-reform ruling. California Attorney General Javier Beccera sent a letter asking the Calfornia Supreme Court to restore a landmark 2018 appellate ruling in the Humphrey case – which requires judges to take...Read More

Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle reported: Judge orders Bakersfield immigration holding facility to test all detainees weekly. San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office also represents the detainees, said ICE “continues to demonstrate its failure to act to prevent a COVID crisis, which has devastating consequences to those in its custody.”Read More

The Davis Vanguard reported: Efforts to Release Incarcerated from San Quentin Move Forward in Marin County Superior Court. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is part of a team of regional attorneys representing over 300 individual petitioners from San Quentin in a consolidated case of habeas corpus in Marin County Superior Court. “If the state...Read More

The San Francisco Examiner published a pledge signed by sixteen current and former elected officials, including San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju: City leaders pledge to reject SFPOA support. The leaders also urged other officials and candidates to reject the support of the SF Police Officers’ Association. “The poa must acknowledge and publicly apologize for...Read More

Sarah Holder of the Bloomberg CityLab published The Imprisoners’ Dilemma – San Quentin’s deadly Covid-19 outbreak has intensified a national debate over releasing inmates and dramatically reducing the U.S. prison population — for good. In it, she notes the efforts of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office to urge Governor Newsom to reduce the state’s prison population. “While we have...Read More