SF Superior Court staff blame management for courtroom delays

“Justice delayed is justice denied!”

“Justice delayed is justice denied!”

“When we fight, we win!”

“When we fight, we win!”

The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees defendants the right to a speedy trial. Last Thursday, San Francisco Superior Court officials were forced to throw out 70 misdemeanor cases because the court failed to adjudicate them in a timely manner.

Court staff, such as Deputy Clerk Rodrigo Lopez, say the high caseload and short staffing make it difficult for them to do their jobs.

“You know, now we talk about getting more cops, hiring more sheriffs, but nobody ever talks about the courtroom. We need people in the courtroom to be able to process those cases in a timely manner. And the community and the people who are arrested have a judicial, constitutional right to a speedy trial. And because our courtrooms are crowded, their rights are being violated.”

Union representatives were scheduled to meet with management this week to discuss the governor’s new budget and future contract negotiations, but the meeting was unexpectedly canceled Tuesday night.

Benjamin Thompson has worked at the courthouse since 2007. He spoke to the crowd during Wednesday’s rally.

“HR, as far as I know, hasn’t responded to us yet, so we don’t really know what’s going on at this point. But we’re just here to show that we’re ready for whatever’s coming and that we know what this court needs to run because we’re the ones running this court. We are the ones who run this court. (…) We are the grease to keep the wheels moving.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected courtroom schedules throughout the country. But Deputy County Clerk Rob Borders says San Francisco has been blaming the pandemic for too long for the delays.

“I worked in another county during COVID and, you know, there were delays in the process, but they were able to get back on schedule in, you know, half a month to, you know, six to 10 months that they were back on schedule. . Here they are using the COVID pandemic as a reason until 2023.”

Of the 70 misdemeanor cases that were dismissed last week, some involved DUI, domestic violence and sexual assault. Victims in those cases expressed their anger and disappointment at being denied their day in court.