A judge fined Public Defender Mano Raju $26,000 after his office refused 26 felony appointments. Raju says he's understaffed, but defendants are being denied their constitutional rights.

A San Francisco judge held Public Defender Mano Raju in contempt for continuing to refuse some new cases, escalating a standoff that’s already delaying prosecutions and leaving some defendants waiting for counsel. City Hall needs a transparent, funded plan to restore ethical caseloads—fast.

A pro-housing legal group says it will sue San Francisco over Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan—arguing the city still isn’t zoning enough capacity to meet state housing mandates. With NIMBY litigation already underway, SF is headed for a messy court fight over whether (and how) to legalize more homes.

San Francisco Superior Court is escalating its standoff with the Public Defender over refusing new felony cases, raising the risk of delays—and even releases—when defendants can’t get counsel.

A San Francisco jury acquitted Antoine Watson of murder in the 2021 killing of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, the attack that helped galvanize Stop Asian Hate. The verdict raises hard questions about accountability and how the city protects vulnerable seniors.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge rejected a lawsuit seeking to undo Proposition K and reopen the Upper Great Highway to private cars. The ruling reinforces that the fight over Sunset Dunes should move from courtrooms back to public policy—and real-world operations.

The California Supreme Court let stand a ruling that Huntington Beach, a charter city, must adopt a housing plan that makes room for 13,368 new homes, reinforcing the state’s power to force all cities—charter or not—to do their fair share on housing. That precedent matters for San Francisco, which is also a charter city and has repeatedly resisted state housing mandates.

Despite a projected $782 million budget deficit, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget proposal does not cut funding from San Francisco’s core public safety services.

In protest of a request for a 15% budget cut, the Public Defender has announced it will stop taking cases one day per week.