Court of Appeal stays SF public defender's $26K sanction

The Court of Appeal has stayed the enforcement of a $26,000 contempt sanction against San Francisco Public Defender Manohar Raju, who was found in contempt for refusing to accept new indigent clients.

The sanctions imposed by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman came after Raju's office claimed unsustainable workloads prevented them from accepting new clients as inadequate counsel will threaten the defendants' constitutional due process rights.

The stay is in effect pending further action by the Superior Court which must first rule on challenges brought by the Public Defender before the matter can move on to the Court of Appeal, according to a news release from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.

Kory DeClark of BraunHagey & Borden LLP, who represents Raju, said in the release: "We agree with the Court of Appeal that no sanctions should issue before a reviewing court has an opportunity to evaluate the merits of the novel issues this case raises. We are confident that, when that happens, the contempt judgment against Mr. Raju will be overturned."