Since 2019, Manohar P. Raju has served as San Francisco’s Public Defender. His commitment to community and public service was forged in his own family’s story.

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Mano’s father, the first in his family to graduate high school, overcame obstacles and worked hard to emigrate to the United States with Mano’s mother in pursuit of greater opportunities. This legacy—to stand up for the underdog—has defined Mano’s life’s work. 

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Educated in public schools, Mano’s interest in leadership started early—joining movements like Students Against Apartheid while still in high school. He went on to study at Columbia University, earning a fellowship at the University of Oxford’s Center for African Studies, and completed his graduate work at University of California, Berkeley before receiving his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law. There, he worked with renowned scholar Angela Harris and distinguished himself in criminal trial practice. 

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Mano’s early career as an attorney spanned civil rights advocacy, housing justice, and labor law—where he fought relentlessly for working people and those shut out of power. Even in those early years, Mano’s work stood as a bulwark against injustice as he used the law as an instrument to confront oppressors.

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In 2001, Mano Raju began his work as a Deputy Public Defender in the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office. There, he quickly rose from misdemeanors to serious felonies, trying case after case before juries and earning a reputation as a fearless and successful advocate for the accused. 

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After seven years, he was personally recruited by Public Defender Jeff Adachi to join the San Francisco Public Defender's Office where he led from the front lines—first as a felony trial lawyer, then as Director of Training, and finally as Manager of the Felony Unit. 

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On March 11, 2019, Mayor London Breed appointed Mano Raju to serve as Public Defender after the sudden passing of Mano’s predecessor, Jeff Adachi.

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Today, as California’s only elected Public Defender, Mano Raju is as a champion for the accused—fighting  courageously in the courtroom, unwavering in his defense of constitutional rights, and resolute in his mission to ensure that justice belongs to all.

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In recognition for his outstanding trial advocacy and leadership, Mano has received a number of awards, including the North America South Asian Bar Association’s 2019 Public Interest Achievement Award, the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2021 James Madison Freedom of Information Award, La Raza Centro Legal’s 2022 Visionary of Justice Award, and California’s Public Defenders Association’s Special Recognition Award for achievements and contributions in the field of criminal defense. In 2025, he received awards from the Washington State Office of Public Defense for his contributions as a Faculty Member at the Public Defense Leadership Institute and from the Family Foundation for his dedication to justice and commitment to advocating for the underserved in San Francisco.

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Manohar Raju sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Public Defense.