SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the San Francisco Superior Court dismissed 69 misdemeanor cases against SF Public Defender clients, after an appellate court ruled last month that the Superior Court had unlawfully delayed a misdemeanor trial for over a year using COVID-19 as an excuse. The appellate court ruling had signaled that many other misdemeanor cases...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2024PRESS CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office | pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org   **PRESS RELEASE** State Appellate Court Orders SF Superior Court to Dismiss Misdemeanor Case Due to Unlawful Trial BacklogFirst Appellate Court decision opens door for dismissal of more than a hundred cases whose trials were unconstitutionally delayed months, years past mandated deadlines...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT:  San Francisco Public Defender PIO Valerie Ibarra | (628) 249-7946 | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org   **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defender’s Office Concludes “Summer Sit-In” Series Protesting Speedy Trial Violations and Court Backlog;Reports Progress in Felony Courts, Continued Violations in Misdemeanors  More than 1,100 trials are delayed past their Constitutionally-mandated deadlines, with 115...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | PIO Valerie Ibarra (628)249-7946  **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Legally Blind Man Who Chose Jail to Get a Faster Misdemeanor Trial Amid a backlog of 1,100 overdue trials in SF Superior Court, strict pretrial conditions can hinder the lives of those awaiting trial SAN FRANCISCO...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 20, 2023CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender PIO Valerie Ibarra | (628) 249-7946 | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org   **MEDIA ADVISORY** SF Public Defender’s Office Continues “Summer Sit-Ins” to Draw Attention to Worsening Trial Backlog; Seventh in Series to Focus on Legal Challenges to the Backlog NOTE SPECIAL LOCATION: Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister St. More than 1,100 trials...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2023MEDIA CONTACT:  SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | Jessie.Seyfer@sfgov.org | (415) 851-2212  Civil Rights Corps | Cheryl Bonacci | cheryl@civilrightscorps.org | 818-339-6928 **PRESS RELEASE** Civil Rights Corps, San Francisco Public Defender Ask California Supreme Court to Review Challenge to S.F. Court Trial Backlog Nearly 1,000 trials are delayed past...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | Valerie Ibarra, PIO (628) 249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** San Francisco Jury Acquits Man Who Defended Himself and Pregnant Girlfriend SAN FRANCISCO – On Monday, Feb. 27, a jury acquitted Mario Ramirez of attempted murder and related charges, finding that Ramirez acted in self-defense and in defense...Read More

In December 2022, CBS News Innovation Lab interviewed San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, Deputy Public Defender Alexandra Pray, and Ms. Pray’s client Sarina Borg for an in-depth report looking at the national problem of court backlogs: Growing backlog of court cases delays justice for crime victims and the accused Ms. Borg waited 2.5 years...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 21, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628) 249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** Jury Acquits SF Man Who Acted in Self-Defense in New Year’s Day Fight Thomas Ortiz was caged for nearly five years. Trial began 15 months past his Constitutional deadline due to the Court’s failure...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org;  Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **MEDIA ADVISORY** TOMORROW: SF Public Defenders & Community to Hold a Mock Trial on steps of 850 Bryant to “Open the Courts and Free Our People” Over 150 people languish indefinitely in SF jails without trial as the Superior...Read More