San Francisco Superior Court

Harry Dorfman, Lead Homicide Prosecutor in S.F., Named Superior Court Judge

Harry Dorfman, a prosecutor who has worked at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for 28 years, is set to be a judge. Governor Jerry Brown appointed him on Tuesday to one of the open seats on the San Francisco Superior Court. Dorfman, who successfully prosecuted the Edwin Ramos case, has ... More >>

BYOB: S.F. Can Ban Plastic Bags at all Stores, Judge Rules

Say what you want to about Ross Mirkarimi as a husband, but the beleaguered pol has won some righteous battles, most recently the city's fight to ban plastic bags.A San Francisco Superior Court judge has finally ruled that the city can -- and will  -- impose a blanket ban those Earth-unfriendly ... More >>

San Francisco Court Workers Go on Strike, Shut Down Courts

Muni isn't the only government agency melting down today. A press release was just sent out, claiming more than 200 court clerks and other workers walked off the job at 8:30 a.m., effectively shutting down the entire Superior Court system. The workers, represented by SEIU Local 1021, say they a ... More >>

San Francisco Court Workers Explain Today's Strike

Court workers who walked off the job this morning are gathered in front of the San Francisco Superior Court House, where they plan to picket throughout the day. SF Weekly correspondent Jeff Sandstoe caught up with some of the nearly 200 demonstrators, who are being represented by the Service Employe ... More >>

Ralph Barbieri Files Suit Against KNBR, Parent Companies

The law offices of Angela Alioto confirmed today that papers have been filed inaugurating Ralph Barbieri's wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer KNBR and its parent companies. Barbieri, a ubiquitous voice on Bay Area airwaves for nearly three decades, was abruptly dismissed by the ... More >>

Sheila Sammon Milosky, S.F. Principal Accused of DUI, Pleads Not Guilty

(Update 12:30 p.m.) Milosky did not appear in court this morning, however her attorney reportedly entered a not guilty plea on her behalf. Her attorney told reporters that Milosky still has a valid driver's license and is awaiting a hearing with the DMV.Sheila Sammon Milosky, the embattled Paul Reve ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee Had the Right to Suspend Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, City Attorney Says

Misconduct "in office" encompasses the time period after the election, not just after an elected official is sworn-in, according to the city attorney, who released a rebuttal to Sheriff-in-Limbo Ross Mirkarimi's request that he should be reinstated as the county sheriff. The 33-page counterattack, f ... More >>

Letter to S.F. Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein Says Clerks 'Betrayed' by Management

Just cuts?​An interesting subplot is emerging in the story of the severe budget cuts forcing the layoffs of San Francisco Superior Court employees and closure of civil courtrooms. An open letter to Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein has surfaced that accuses court administrators of "gutting" the ... More >>

Civil Courts Are San Francisco's Newest Endangered Species

Like the California grizzly, another symbol of our state is about to die off: the civil courts.​The warnings of cuts are over. They're here -- for real -- and San Francisco's civil court system will soon be a cozy concept from a bygone era in which the state had the cash to fund such luxuries as ... More >>

Circumcision Ban Tentatively Snipped from S.F. Ballot

Snipped from the ballot?​The growing effort to remove San Francisco's circumcision ban from the November ballot San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta M. Giorgi issued a tentative ruling this afternoon, saying that because the measure attempts to regulate a medical procedure, the purpose of th ... More >>

Hate Crime Allegations Dismissed in Attack on S.F. Transgender Woman

This isn't exactly how the LGBT community imagined kicking off gay pride ​SF Weekly readers might recall the incident two months ago when two men were arrested after beating a transgender woman on the 16th Street BART plaza. Well, despite the public outcry over the incident -- which sparked a rall ... More >>

Criminal Cases Would Be Less Affected by S.F. Court Layoffs

​California's oft-discussed governmental dysfunction is starting to take its toll. Public access to our state's natural resources is already on the chopping block; on Friday, more ominous news arrived about public access to justice. In light of the budget approved last week by the state Legislatur ... More >>

DA's Office Can Prosecute Wheelchair-Bound Man Shot by Police, Judge Rules

​A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled today that District Attorney George Gascón does not have to recuse himself from prosecuting Randal Dunklin, the man shot by police in January while he was sitting in a wheelchair.Dunklin, whose case attracted heavy media attention after the shooting was ... More >>

Recycling Company Pays SFPD to Catch Trash Thieves

Garfield Smith Accused of Bomb Threat Near Federal Building

Bomb threats also create traffic jams ​Update: Police have arrested 45-year-old Garfield Smith, a transient. He was booked for false reports of a bomb, placing a fictitious bomb, and terrorist threats. Original Story 3:15 p.m.: San Francisco's bomb squad detonated a suspicious backpack that was le ... More >>

'Bait Car' Conversations With Cops Likely To Be Revealed, Could Help Alleged Car Thieves

As they say, the devil is in the details.​The nitty-gritty details of the behind-the-scenes discussions between San Francisco police and truTV's "Bait Car" reality TV show will likely be revealed in court -- soon. On Thursday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Andrew Cheng said he was granting a ... More >>

GameStop Sued for Swiping Buyers' Private Information

Personal information is....personal​The thing about giving away your personal information -- it's no longer personal. One Alameda County woman trusted a local GameStop employee who had asked her for her private numbers -- address and credit cards -- as she bought games from the retailer.  She ... More >>

S.F. Sued for 'Killing' Endangered Species at Sharp Park Golf Course

He has a family to look after, too​It came as no surprise to city leaders when conservation groups slapped them with a lawsuit today, accusing the Recreation and Park Department of perpetually killing endangered species at Sharp Park Golf Course. The suit -- which was filed today in San Francisco ... More >>

Schwarzenegger Dealt Setback In Bid to Rush $1.3 Billion Building Sale

Drag​Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's frantic bid to rush the $1.3 billion fire sale of 11 state buildings before he leaves office suffered a blow this afternoon. A state appeals court in San Jose announced it wouldn't hear arguments until Jan. 26 regarding whether the sale should be allowed. Schwarze ... More >>

Sale of State-Owned Buildings Halted

Maybe later...​The pending sale of 11 state-owned buildings -- a short-term cash infusion that would cost taxpayers billions down the road -- has been halted, albeit temporarily. The 6th Appellate District Court in San Jose today issued an order staying the sale, which was to commence Dec. 15. Amo ... More >>

City Attorney Sues Martin Guajardo, Alleged Immigration Attorney Fraud

Martin Guajardo is accused of being a legendary bloodsucker​ City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed suit today against a San Francisco-based immigration attorney, accusing him of defrauding multiple clients and bilking them of their life savings to fight doomed immigration cases that often led to ... More >>

Cops' Decoy Sting Operations Criticized as Immoral Wastes of Time By Jurors

​Among all the decoy operations performed by the cops, one is purportedly rubbing an increasing number of jurors the wrong way: those from the San Francisco Robbery Abatement Team (RAT). These are cases in which a cop poses as a homeless person or hapless tourist with a large bill literally flappi ... More >>

Printing Company Charged in Pregnant Worker's Death Paid Large Civil Settlement

​The San Francisco printing company charged with involuntary manslaughter and violating labor laws for the 2008 death of an employee has already paid at least $1.5 million in a civil lawsuit resulting from the incident, court records show.Digital Pre-Press International, located at Mariposa and Te ... More >>

Caltrans Sued Over Highway Project Through Redwood Forest

​Environmental activists are suing Caltrans over plans to expand and reroute a highway that passes through Richardson Grove State Park, the Humboldt County preserve that boasts some of California's oldest and tallest coast redwoods.The suit was filed yesterday in San Francisco Superior Court by th ... More >>

Men Who Lost $1M in Scheme to Earn $10M Per Week File Suit

​If you are industrious or fortunate enough to be able to scare up $1 million on short notice, what would you do? A. Invest in government bonds; B. Invest in real estate; C. Hand it over to some skeezy guys who float a wild scheme about "leasing" $10 million, and parlaying that into earnings of $1 ... More >>

'SF Weekly Is Not Going Out of Business'

​That's word from our bosses. Sorry, Brugmann -- it's still too early to declare "mission accomplished" on your plan to use an obscure state antitrust law to snuff out the competition. (Oh, the irony!)Earlier this week, a San Francisco Superior Court commissioner ordered SF Weekly to give half of ... More >>

S.F. State student who invoked Shield Law reveals murder scene photo in national contest

DA Announces Sweeping Broke Niggas Thievin' Gang Indictment

​District Attorney Kamala Harris announced today that 10 members and associates of the notorious Bayview street gang known as Broke Niggas Thievin' have been indicted by a San Francisco criminal grand jury for dozens of felonies, including three murder charges.The indictment came after three month ... More >>

DA Announces Charges Against Two Suspects in Weekend Murders

The suspects in two high-profile killings last weekend will be arraigned on charges of murder tomorrow morning in San Francisco Superior Court, according to the office of District Attorney Kamala Harris.​Keandre Davis, 20, will face three charges related to a shooting outside the Suede nightclub o ... More >>

Patrol Special Officer Sues City, Claiming Mistreatment Because She Is Lesbian

One of the public faces of San Francisco's quasi-public community policing agency, the Patrol Special Police, is suing the city under state anti-discrimination laws, asserting she was subject to unfair treatment because she is a woman and a lesbian.The gloves come off​In a complaint filed this mon ... More >>

Top Ten Most Read Snitch Posts of 2009

It's almost the end of the year, and we're extremely grateful to the readers who visited our site in 2009. Here are the Snitch posts that garnered the highest readership, and reflect what is truly important to you: sex, crime, and weed. And serial killers.10. Lawsuit Alleges ER Doctor Let Man D ... More >>

DJ, Party Guest Given Back Laptops Confiscated By Cops

SF Weekly's Jennifer Maerz earlier this month broke the story about an apparently far-reaching San Francisco Police strategy to keep that damn noise down. Cops, it seems, were systematically seizing the laptops of DJs playing at underground parties -- or, in some cases, even some who claim they were ... More >>

SFPD Returns Laptops to DJ, Party Guest (from The Snitch)

Tom Dougherty​Fellow SF Weekly reporter Joe Eskenazi followed up on the story I broke Nov. 16 about problems DJs and partygoers were having with the SFPD seizing laptops and DJ equipment. This morning, Electronic Frontier Foundation's Jennifer Granick represented a DJ and a partygoer from a SOMA H ... More >>

'Signs' Point to Better Times Ahead for Cyclists

The tide is turning...​ For San Francisco's ever-growing cadre of bicyclists, this week opened with both good news and bad.On Monday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter Busch postponed until Nov. 12 his decision on whether to allow the city to install bicycle improvements. San Francisco has ... More >>

Judge Orders Pink Diamonds Strip Club Closed for One Year

The wild nights are over​San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter Busch ordered today that the Pink Diamonds be closed for one year, a victory for City Attorney Dennis Herrera in his efforts to crack down on the notoriously violent strip club."I am gratified that Judge Busch clearly recognized the ... More >>

California's First Openly Gay Superior Court Judge Hopes To Avoid Being 'Cubbyholed'

San Francisco Superior CourtJudge Ronald AlbersWhen new superior court judges are appointed by the governor, it's usually a three-paragraph story in the back of the paper. In Judge Ronald Albers' case, that was how it went -- and yet it didn't. It wasn't just another appointment for Gov. Arnold Schw ... More >>

Three Courthouse Guards Allege Sex, Drugs, and Weapon-related Violations Inside San Francisco's Northern District Court

Three guards employed by Akal Security, a prominent New Mexico-based corporation that contracts with federal courthouses around the country, are making some pretty shocking claims about their employer and workplace -- the Northern District Court in San Francisco. Their complaint, filed rec ... More >>

Vote on Ammiano's Marijuana Bill Postponed Amid Difficult Time For S.F. Pot Fans

In what is perhaps the best news of late for aficionados of marijuana legalization, a scheduled March 31 committee hearing of Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's legalization bill was postponed likely until 2010 (drag) -- which gives marijuana advocates some time to reverse what would have almost definitely b ... More >>

Legal Armageddon! Christians v. Pagans, the Final Battle -- At S.F. Superior Court

Locked in theological stuggle for millemnia, the belief systems of Paganism and Christianity have taken their rivalry to a higher authority -- the courts, according to names appearing on the docket at San Francisco Superior Court. Anna Marie Cross, along with a group of co-plaintiffs, has ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Marjorie Knoller mauled by courts

Back In Court

The Gay Divorcees

Gay marriage is new. Gay divorce isn't.

Marjorie Knoller case inches forward

Anti-Weekly Lawsuit Set for Trial

Trying Time

Guardian's lawsuit against SF Weekly nearing trial after more than three years.

SF Parking Measure Stays on the Ballot

Baring Equality

The cases of a young defendant and a repeat offender attorney show power and privilege tip the scales

"I Do" Redux

Do you subconsciously oppose gay marriage? Take our quiz and set your id free!

Lawyers, Bucks, and Books

Settlement talks on City College bookstore lawsuit collapse