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Criminal

Nov. 6, 2025

Attorney tells judge he can order private attorneys to defend criminal defendants

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman questioned was told he can order private attorneys to represent indigent defendants amid an alleged shortage of public defenders and conflict panel lawyers for criminal cases.

A managing attorney at the San Francisco Public defender's office told a judge Wednesday that he has the authority to order private attorneys to represent indigent criminal clients when the office or conflict panel is unavailable.

Senior attorneys who deal with ethics litigation for attorneys and judges said in interviews with the Daily Journal that it's unlikely the judge has such power.

Meanwhile, Sujung Kim, research manager at the Public Defender's office,...

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