"Raju's office does not have enough attorneys to handle the influx of criminal cases in San Francisco and guarantee effective counsel to everyone, Raju has argued."
"Kory DeClark, Raju's attorney, argued that this is a systemic problem, and the public defender's office wasn't the only one responsible."
"Dorfman said he had read several letters from other chief public defenders arguing Raju is the best person to evaluate if his lawyers have a full caseload."
""It's a constitutional fight that needs to happen for equity in our city and in our country," Raju said today before the hearing."
Public Defender Mano Raju was sanctioned $26,000 by a judge for not representing clients due to a lack of attorneys. Raju's office has been overwhelmed with cases, leading to a refusal to take on more since May. Despite a court order to accept all cases, Raju continued to decline representation. His attorney argued that the issue is systemic, involving the District Attorney's office and budget decisions by the Mayor's Office. Judge Dorfman, however, concluded that Raju had available lawyers and imposed the sanction.
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