Chief public defenders from nine different counties showed their support for San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju today in court. Alameda Chief Brendon Woods, Contra Costa Chief Ellen McDonnell, Yolo Chief Tracie Olson, and Sonoma Chief Brian Morris to the left of Raju, and Santa Cruz Chief Heather Rogers, San Joaquin Chief Judyanne Vallado, Sacramento Chief Amanda Benson to the right of Raju. Marin Chief David Sutton and Napa Chief Kris Keeley are not pictured.
WASHINGTON — National public defense organizations are condemning a $26,000 contempt fine imposed on San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, warning the penalty underscores a broader crisis of excessive caseloads and chronic underfunding in public defense systems nationwide.
The National Legal Aid & Defender Association and the American Council of Chief Defenders released a joint statement criticizing the sanction, which was imposed after Raju declined to accept additional cases his office said it could not handle ethically.
San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Harry M. Dorfman fined Raju $1,000 for each case his office declined to take, after finding him in contempt March 10 for refusing to accept dozens of new cases amid what his office described as overwhelming workload demands.
Raju has said he plans to appeal the ruling and has indicated his office would need 36 additional attorneys to meet its constitutional obligations.
“The court must respect the independence of a chief defender and work with them to uphold this fundamental principle to safeguard justice in the legal system,” said April Frazier Camara, NLADA president and CEO. “It is imperative that public defenders operate independently and determine the volume of cases that their offices can handle. Holding a public defender in contempt for not adhering to a judge’s determination of caseload is deeply troubling, not just for San Francisco, but for overwhelmed public defenders nationwide.”
Ellen McDonnell, chief public defender for Contra Costa County, was among nine California chief public defenders who attended the hearing in support of Raju.
“We attended Raju’s hearing as a show of support for public defenders across California and the country,” McDonnell said. “Judges are not equipped to determine the correct volume of cases public defenders can handle, and we commend Mano Raju for standing strong to defend the right to effective counsel.”
Danny Engelberg, chair of ACCD and chief public defender at the Orleans Public Defenders in New Orleans, said the fine risks compounding systemic problems already facing public defense offices.
“Mano Raju continues to be a strong defender of the right to effective counsel, and of the constitutional obligation we as public defenders have to properly defend our clients,” Engelberg said. “The contempt order already created an additional burden for Raju’s office, and taking financial resources away from the office for this fine will create an additional burden on adequately defending clients. Neither the fine nor the contempt order will do anything to address the root problem: Raju’s office, like many across the country, is inadequately funded.”
The organizations pointed to findings from a 2023 National Public Defense Workload Study, which concluded that existing caseloads across the country exceed recommended limits and undermine the ability of public defenders to provide effective representation. The study updated national standards that had not been significantly revised since 1973 and called for substantial reductions in maximum caseloads.
Public defense systems nationwide have struggled for decades with funding disparities compared to law enforcement and prosecution, leading to mounting caseloads and increasing strain on attorneys and support staff. In San Francisco, Raju’s office has been described as carrying the highest workload in the Bay Area, raising concerns about the impact on both attorneys and the people they represent.
The strain on public defense has also contributed to broader disruptions within court systems, including recent labor actions by court staff citing excessive workloads.
Across the country, courts have begun to acknowledge the consequences of these systemic pressures.
In Oregon, the state Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of more than 1,400 pending cases due to a shortage of public defenders.
In Washington state, the Supreme Court mandated a phased reduction in public defender caseload limits, requiring at least a 10% decrease annually.
In Iowa, the state Supreme Court upheld the use of a “temporary overload” rule allowing public defenders to decline new cases when workloads become unmanageable.
In Los Angeles, the Alternate Public Defender’s Office declined 83 homicide cases amid a reported 20% to 30% increase in caseloads.
Advocates argue that the fine against Raju reflects a fundamental tension between judicial case management and constitutional guarantees of effective assistance of counsel, a conflict they say is increasingly playing out in court systems across the country.
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Categories: Breaking News Everyday Injustice Tags: ACCD caseloads indigent defense crisis Mano Raju NLADA Public Defense