Today we joined public defenders nationwide in wearing black to protest rising caseloads & offices that are underfunded & overburdened. Across the U.S., poor people are unfairly prosecuted, take bad plea deals & are unjustly punished because defenders lack adequate resources. tinyurl.com/Defender423

Pierre Constant spent 18+ months in jail for an attack he did not commit. Jurors acquitted Constant, in a case rife with police and DA delays and violations. Prosecutors took more than a year to give the defense exonerating DNA evidence. sfpublicdefender.org/2026/04/21/j...

📣 Wear black on 4/23 📣 Join with @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov & defenders across the U.S. in wearing black on Thursday. We are raising the alarm on rising defender workloads and chronically understaffed, underfunded, & overburdened defender offices. Learn more: sfpublicdefender.org/2026/04/22/p...

Today we’re celebrating Administrative Professionals Day and the incredible people who keep our office running every day. Their skill, dedication, and care make it possible for us to support our clients and stand up for justice. We’re deeply grateful—thank you for all you do.

#AB1917, the Respect Judicial Decisions Act, passed the CA Assembly Appropriations Committee! Thx to bill author @asmnickschultz.bsky.social for working to strengthen fairness & due process in our courts, and to fellow co‑sponsors Californians for Safety & Justice, CA Attys for Criminal Justice.

An appeals court affirmed it's halting a $26K fine against SF Public Defender @manorajupd.bsky.social. Lower court Judge Harry Dorfman fined Raju for declining some felony cases due to overburdened attys & staff. The ofc still handles the vast majority of cases. sfpublicdefender.org/2026/04/10/c...

BREAKING: SB 1095, "Expose Data Deportation Centers," by @senatorsrp.bsky.social just PASSED out of the CA Senate's Privacy Committee! We're proud to co-sponsor this bill, the first-EVER in CA to seek transparency and accountability from secretive, shadowy entities known as “Fusion Centers.” 1/

A San Francisco court has dismissed all charges against nudism activist Martin Moulton, 59, who was arrested after a park ranger choked him at a Jan. 17 vigil for Bob Weir. Read more here: sfpublicdefender.org/2026/04/08/c...

Great hearing from Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr about leadership today w/ city leaders. Really appreciate his willingness to speak out on social justice issues & his PSA for SF's Be The Jury program, our initiative to increase economic & racial diversity on juries. More: tinyurl.com/KerrBeTheJury

We are heartened & so appreciative of the support we're receiving for our stance against crushing workloads and in support of our clients’ Constitutional right to effective counsel. Thanks, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, @nlada.bsky.social & the American Council of Chief Defenders!

Legal leaders nationwide support SF Public Defender Mano Raju, who is standing up for clients & against crushing staff workloads. The court may unjustly sanction him for it. 📣Stand w/ us tomorrow: 1:30pm, Dept 22, 850 Bryant St., SF.📣Our community deserves a fully-resourced public defense office.

It took the handwritten letters of a jailed man—Clarence Earl Gideon, who was denied an attorney because he couldn’t afford to pay one—to change our Constitution. Today, a pub def movement is gaining momentum to adopt modern approaches to the complex needs of our clients & demands of our profession.

📢 Check out our office’s Community Budget Presentation to learn about our goals, the vital work we do, and our budget. Public defenders are essential to protecting constitutional rights, ensuring fairness, and giving a voice to people who can’t afford an attorney. tinyurl.com/PDR2026Budget

🚨New, independent UC Berkeley research shows that SF's Pretext Stops Policy is WORKING.🚨 Check out the researcher's SF Chronicle op-ed: tinyurl.com/Chron-pretext. The analysis found that the policy *reduced* disproportionate stops of Black & Latino drivers without sacrificing anyone’s safety.

Honored to speak at the Harvard Law APALSA Conference about my journey to becoming an elected Public Defender & our office’s work advocating for system-impacted people. Grateful to APALSA organizers for creating space to discuss public interest paths for aspiring API lawyers. The future is bright.

Honored to celebrate the opening of the Just Home project on 3rd St—housing & support for Transitional Age Youth. Housing is a critical need for our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov clients & can be life-changing. Grateful to local policy dir. Carolyn Goossen and partners for their work making this happen.

In my OpEd, I explain why we shouldn’t accept a system where the quality or timeliness of justice depends on the limited resources of public defenders. A new national workload study affirms: if we’re serious abt justice, we must be serious abt funding public defense. sfbayview.com/2026/02/we-c...

Breaking: AB 1537 by Asm. Isaac Bryan, the No Side Jobs for ICE Act, has PASSED out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee! Thank you to Asm. Bryan @ib2real.bsky.social, to the committee members who voted “aye,” and all who supported! 1/

⭐ Join us Friday, 2/27 from noon-2 p.m. for a webinar event: San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju will talk with author and former public defender Emily Galvin Almanza about her new book, “The Price of Mercy.” ⚖️ ➡️ Register at tinyurl.com/PubDefAlmanza or use the QR code.

📣 NEW BILL INTRODUCED AB 1917, the “Respect Judicial Decisions Act”, upholds judicial discretion & enhances due process rights by requiring prosecutors to file a motion to add back charges that were previously dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing. Track updates: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

In the words of Vera’s Claudia Gonzalez, “Punishment is not prevention, and prison is not a path forward.” Diversion programs provide a non-punitive alternative to incarceration and addresses trauma, promotes healing, and helps break the cycle of incarceration. www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...

Did you know that the San Francisco “pretext stops” policy is showing early signs of success in reducing racial profiling during police traffic stops? It’s a great start, but there’s still a long way to go…

We @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov were honored to kick off #BlackHistoryMonth w/ Jeffery Robinson, exec dir. of the Who We Are Project. He gave an amazing training on trial storytelling, & spoke about 100 years of BHM—reminding us of our shared history & public defenders’ role fighting anti-Black racism.

📢 Join Our Community Budget Presentation! Thursday, 2/12/26, 11:00 AM In person or via Zoom Come learn about our goals, the vital work we do, & our budget. Public defenders are essential to protecting constitutional rights, ensuring fairness, & giving a voice to people who can’t afford an attorney.

Public defender offices are chronically underfunded across the country, eroding people's Constitutional right to effective counsel & due process. In this op-ed @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Chief Atty Matt Gonzalez explains why our office has been forced to declare unavailable on a small # of new cases.

Honored to keynote the CA Coalition for Prosecutorial Integrity summit in SF put on by @itchy-cpi.bsky.social. As public defenders, we see how prosecutorial overcharging perpetuates state violence. We’re inspired by the NY DA accountability commission the Coalition has built.

To honor and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, the ‘beautiful community’ came out to show our relentless dedication to justice for all. Thanks so much to the SF Interfaith Council for the inspirational gathering to connect with one another on the work ahead. #MLK

🚨ICE has spent millions trying to recruit local police and sheriffs. And right now, nothing in state law prevents local officers from taking “side jobs” as deportation agents. AB 1537 by @isaacgbryan.bsky.social will CLOSE this loophole. We’re proud to sponsor this important bill. 🧵

First week of January 2026 @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov in the news: •uplifting benefits of Drug Court expansion @sfchronicle.com •seeking corrections @abc7.bsky.social & @nbcbayarea.com • providing updates & condolences re: stabbing of social worker at SF General @kqednews.kqed.org @missionlocal.org

We mourn Renee Nicole Good, killed by ICE in Minnesota. This murder is a painful reminder that ICE is a violent and unaccountable agency that has long terrorized immigrant communities and torn families apart. SF stands firm in Sanctuary and supports ICE-Free Zones and CA AB 1537.

Our Young Defender program—made possible by SF’s Opportunities for All—offers local high school students paid internships w/ our office to learn about the criminal legal system. In this video, Young Defender Zachariah shares a key takeaway. Big thanks to intern Sai for their work on this video!

As power outages continue overnight, call 9-1-1 for life-safety emergencies. For City services, call 3-1-1. PG&E is opening a Resource Center at 251 18th Avenue from 5-10pm today and 8am-10pm on 12/22/25 for residents impacted by continued outages. Snacks, drinks, WiFi and charging are available.

Our Young Defender program—made possible by SF’s Opportunities for All—offers local high school students paid internships w/ our office to learn about the criminal legal system. In this video, Young Defender Amir shares a key takeaway. Big thanks to intern Sai for their work on this video!

Yesterday, we delivered a community demand letter from 30+ orgs to SF leaders following the mass strip search of women in jail. The demands call for accountability, survivor support, independent investigation, and real oversight. Read and share our letter.

For December, we @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov thank all of our community partners. Our motto “Greater Than One” reflects our commitment to building community health & safety through collaboration. Our partners inspire us & strengthen our impact. We’re grateful to serve San Franciscans alongside them.

It was a magical evening w/a packed house at the Roxie Theater for the screening of 3 films from the Adachi Project’s new “DEFENDER–Off the Record” series. We were honored to have our clients who were featured in the films & filmmakers from Even/Odd join a panel w/moderator @bootsriley.bsky.social.

As Public Defenders, we understand that the fear of immigration enforcement can keep families from schools, clinics & essential services. City buildings must be places of dignity—not detention. Proud to support Sups. @bilalmahmood.bsky.social and Chyanne Chen’s ICE-Free Zones Ordinance. #ICEoutofSF

The Adachi Project is back with 'DEFENDER—Off the Record' — a new series of short films about @sfpublicdefender clients: Sal, Prezi, and Julia. Join us for a special screening 12/2 at 6pm; $10 tix available at Roxie.com. Followed by a panel moderated by Boots Riley w/film subjects & filmmakers.

Today on #WorldAIDSDay, we reaffirm: health care, not punishment. We stand with communities most impacted by HIV and continue fighting for equity, housing, treatment access, and dignity. @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov

Had a blast speaking with members of the Leadership Academy about careers in public defense at Third Street Youth Center & Clinic! I always appreciate the opportunity to talk with young people about the impact they could make in public defense.

Many thanks to the National Association for Public Defense for supporting of our office’s decision to declare unavailable in a limited number of cases. When understaffing and underfunding threaten quality representation, public defenders must decline new cases. publicdefenders.us/blogs/napd-s...

It was great to convene w/our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov College Pathway Project partners abt how we can support even more of our clients to access higher ed. Thx SFSU Project Rebound & CCSF New Directions for working w/pub def staff to ensure students who've been system-involved get higher ed opps.

✊ Know your rights. At the SF Immigrant Rights Commission, Immigration Unit mngr Jennifer Friedman highlighted our deportation defense work & Assist. Chief Attny Angela Chan gave recommendations to ensure law enforcement doesn’t aid ICE. 🎥 youtube.com/watch?v=mtx-GsWMGdc @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov

BREAKING NEWS: The Homecoming Project is expanding to San Francisco! (1/4) Since 2018, the Homecoming Project has been transforming reentry experiences by placing people leaving prison after long sentences in warm, welcoming host homes in the community. impactjustice.org/homecoming-project

We’re hiring misdemeanor & felony trial attorneys! Join one of the nation’s most respected public defender offices—fighting for justice, community power & our clients' rights. We seek attys committed to racial justice & to leveraging the law to uplift marginalized communities. tinyurl.com/PDRLawyer

📢San Francisco has long been a sanctuary—a city that celebrates our values of care, dignity and collective safety. Sign & share this petition to urge Sheriff Paul Miyamoto to honor this commitment & uphold our city’s Sanctuary Ordinance.✍️ bit.ly/upholdsfsanctuary @iceoutofca.bsky.social #ICEoutofSF

If you've experienced a low-level traffic stop in San Francisco in the past three years, the Center for Policing Equity wants to hear about it for a study on the effects of traffic stops. Details, including compensation and the link to sign up, in the flyer. 👇🏾

SF needs housing & care for our most vulnerable residents--NOT armed federal troops terrorizing our city. We will fiercely defend those who protest the injustices of this administration. Thx @us.theguardian.com, for including my response to Trump’s threats: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Our Young Defenders program—made possible by SF’s Opportunities for All—offers local high school students paid internships w/ our office to learn about the criminal legal system. In this video, Young Defender Joleen shares a key takeaway. Big thanks to intern Sai for their work on this video!

The SF Superior Court has dismissed the police union’s lawsuit challenging SF’s landmark policy limiting police pretextual stops (i.e., traffic stops that police use as a “pretext” to detain & search people). The policy remains in effect! Know Your Rights: sfpublicdefender.org/2024/07/16/1...