Manohar Raju is an American attorney who has served as Public Defender of San Francisco since 2019. Appointed by Mayor London Breed to replace the late Jeff Adachi,Manohar "Mano" Raju previously served as Deputy Public Defender,and managed the office's Felony Division.[1]
As manager of the office's felony unit,Raju criticized the lack of representation in jury pools,noting in 2017 that:
"It’s not uncommon that you’ll walk into a felony trial with an African American client and turn around and see anywhere from zero to maybe three African Americans in the whole jury pool"[9]
Public Defender of San Francisco (2019-present)
Following Jeff Adachi's death in 2019,Raju was appointed Public Defender of San Francisco by Mayor London Breed.[1]Matt Gonzalez,who briefly served as acting Public Defender in Adachi's place,praised the appointment of Raju,stating "If I could have made the choice on my own,I would have chosen him."[8]
Raju was elected to a full term in office in the November 2019 without opposition.[10] In 2022,Raju faced a challenge from Rebecca Young,an assistant district attorney and former deputy public defender who previously served under Raju.[11] In the first contested race for the position in 20 years,Raju comfortably won reelection with 69.75% of the vote per provisional totals.[12]
Tenure
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,Raju pushed for the release of pre-trial defendants deemed at a heightened risk from the virus from county jails.[13] In 2021,Raju sued the San Francisco County Superior Court over the continued imprisonment of inmates past their trial deadlines.[14] During his tenure,Raju has endorsed efforts to improve pay for individuals serving jury duty.[15]
As Public Defender,Raju has identified curbing the "macho" atmosphere in the office and prioritizing diversity in the ranks as priorities. On matters of criminal justice reform,Raju favors the creation of an integrity unit within the office to investigate potentially unfair convictions.[16] Raju was among the public officials to criticize Mayor London Breed's declaration of a state of emergency in the Tenderloin neighborhood,arguing that incarcerating homeless residents and individuals with substance abuse disorder would not solve problems facing the community.[17]
Raju is married to Asha Mehta,with whom he has one son. Regarding his position,Raju said he views "public defender work as falling within the tradition of broader freedom struggles that have always relied upon multiracial solidarities",and cited the activism of Bayard Rustin of Ram Manohar Lohia.[4]
↑ ONeal, Molly; Raju, Manohar; Bobrow, Oscar; Olson, Tracie; Epps, David; Ogul, Michael; Khan, Sajid A. (2021-02-01). "Op-Ed: Ash Kalra Should Be California's Next AG". San Jose Inside. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
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