Dozens of criminal cases tossed by San Francisco judge over delays
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco judge on Thursday dismissed dozens of criminal cases that languished in the court system. Prosecutors and defenders expressed outrage at the delays and over the extreme decision. At least for today they were on the same side for this issue.
During the height of the COVID pandemic, San Francisco Superior Court faced a backlog of cases putting them in legal limbo.
On Thursday, the court considered 76 cases ranging from DUI to domestic violence, including the dismissal of a case against the driver who faced charges of vehicular manslaughter for a fatal crash in 2022 that killed two women.
Ultimately, the court dismissed 70 of the cases. Some cases spent months or years in the system.
UC School of Law San Francisco professor David Levine says the constitution guarantees the right to a speedy trial. "Basically, because you don't want people left with a criminal accusation hanging over you or, even worse, to be stuck in jail while you await your trial," said Levine.
San Francisco's District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released a statement laying blame on the court. She said the court's decision to continue cases beyond their statutory deadlines deprived defendants and victims of their day in court, "regrettably, the system has now failed countless victims of crime who will not see justice done."
Andrea Lindsay from San Francisco's Public Defenders Office said their attorneys have been furious about this issue for years. Now, she said, dozens of clients who have lived for months, even years, under the threat of legal prosecution can resume their lives.
"Our reaction is this is overdue. It's finally justice for those individuals, but it's long overdue and what it means for a lot of these individuals is that they can now move on with their lives," said Lindsay.
This afternoon, Presiding Judge Anne-Christine Massullo released a statement saying the court was bound by an appeals court decision to dismiss those 70 cases. The court also pushed back on the DA, saying "In the future, we hope that the District Attorney’s Office will prioritize cases appropriately so that justice can be served."
The court says there are still 119 no-time-waiver misdemeanor cases still pending.
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