Kate Chatfield
@katechatfield.bsky.social
Attorney. Californian. Executive Director, California Public Defenders Association. “The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.”
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process
Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process
Well, well, well. What have we got here? Another city slicker who thinks he can waltz into my town and start causin’ all sorts of trouble. I’d be careful if I was you, fella. Because however they do t...
theonion.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
"District attorneys hold immense authority in people’s lives and in a community. When that authority is exercised by someone who publicly expresses racial, religious, or gender-based bias, it endangers both individual rights and the integrity of the justice system itself.” @katechatfield.bsky.social
Statement from CPDA Condemning Racist Statements From San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow - Nov. 13, 2025:
November 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
"District attorneys hold immense authority in people’s lives and in a community. When that authority is exercised by someone who publicly expresses racial, religious, or gender-based bias, it endangers both individual rights and the integrity of the justice system itself.” @katechatfield.bsky.social
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Latest statement from CPDA: One Year After Prop. 36 Passes, Incarceration is Increasing, Treatment is Not.
November 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Latest statement from CPDA: One Year After Prop. 36 Passes, Incarceration is Increasing, Treatment is Not.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
CPDA is collecting information about arrests in and around state courts by immigration agents. If you have witnessed any action by federal agents in and around state courthouses, please fill out this form.
Form link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Form link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
CPDA is collecting information about arrests in and around state courts by immigration agents. If you have witnessed any action by federal agents in and around state courthouses, please fill out this form.
Form link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Form link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Great read.
Zohran showed that a socialist can take City Hall—but the ruling class still forced him to keep Jessica Tisch at the NYPD. For Zohran to fight the police unions and win, the Left has to build power beyond the ballot box.
New from me for The Nation:
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
New from me for The Nation:
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
If We Want Mamdani to Beat the NYPD, the Left Must Build Power
We won’t be able to push Mamdani, or anyone else, to undermine police power unless we become a force to be reckoned with.
www.thenation.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Great read.
So this is not just any small county elected official engaging in good old gutter racism.
This is an official who wields enormous power over people’s lives and a community. Who gets charged, who gets held in a cage, how many years should be taken from a life…
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/a...
This is an official who wields enormous power over people’s lives and a community. Who gets charged, who gets held in a cage, how many years should be taken from a life…
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/a...
SLO County DA shares posts linking New York’s first Muslim mayor to 9/11 attacks
When asked why he shared the posts, Dan Dow called Zohran Mamdani “an un-American socialist who wants to trample on the values and freedoms that millions of Americans have fought and died for.”
www.sanluisobispo.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:34 AM
So this is not just any small county elected official engaging in good old gutter racism.
This is an official who wields enormous power over people’s lives and a community. Who gets charged, who gets held in a cage, how many years should be taken from a life…
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/a...
This is an official who wields enormous power over people’s lives and a community. Who gets charged, who gets held in a cage, how many years should be taken from a life…
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/a...
I am begging people to understand the different powers that a mayor holds and that a prosecutor holds. Begging.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: Voters want both 'tough on crime' and compassionate reform
Zohran Mamdani's campaign for New York City mayor has neatly sidestepped a trap that ensnared multiple progressive prosecutors in California.
www.latimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I am begging people to understand the different powers that a mayor holds and that a prosecutor holds. Begging.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
This is so true. They are going to follow the 2020 SF playbook & create hysteria. And everyone is going to fall for it hook, line, and sinker. First and most vociferous perpetrator of this nonsense will be the NYTimes.
NYC is going to have the world's biggest media-manufactured crime panic in history the second Mamdani is elected. They aren't even going to wait until he is inaugurated. Whether or not you like the guy, you need to start preparing now for the fire hose of disinformation that is about to activate.
November 3, 2025 at 1:17 AM
This is so true. They are going to follow the 2020 SF playbook & create hysteria. And everyone is going to fall for it hook, line, and sinker. First and most vociferous perpetrator of this nonsense will be the NYTimes.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
The U.S. and the Philippines are the only two countries with a for-profit bail industry, says civil rights lawyer @equalityalec.bsky.social. The insistence that people in pre-trial detention pay to get out of jail leads to "millions of coerced guilty pleas" by poor people each year, he says.
October 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The U.S. and the Philippines are the only two countries with a for-profit bail industry, says civil rights lawyer @equalityalec.bsky.social. The insistence that people in pre-trial detention pay to get out of jail leads to "millions of coerced guilty pleas" by poor people each year, he says.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Welcome to the next installment of our CPDA series “What is a public defender?”
This week’s question we are answering is “What would a world without public defenders look like?”
Submit your questions to cpda@cpda.org, and we’ll return soon with a new question!
This week’s question we are answering is “What would a world without public defenders look like?”
Submit your questions to cpda@cpda.org, and we’ll return soon with a new question!
October 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Welcome to the next installment of our CPDA series “What is a public defender?”
This week’s question we are answering is “What would a world without public defenders look like?”
Submit your questions to cpda@cpda.org, and we’ll return soon with a new question!
This week’s question we are answering is “What would a world without public defenders look like?”
Submit your questions to cpda@cpda.org, and we’ll return soon with a new question!
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
CPDA and its members across California stand united with immigrant communities, labor partners, and local leaders demanding the immediate withdrawal of CBP agents from the Bay Area. California’s commitment to justice and sanctuary cannot coexist with the federal militarization of our streets.
October 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
CPDA and its members across California stand united with immigrant communities, labor partners, and local leaders demanding the immediate withdrawal of CBP agents from the Bay Area. California’s commitment to justice and sanctuary cannot coexist with the federal militarization of our streets.
I’ve been saying this for decades now…
So predictable. This thing passing was a tragedy. More people should listen to @katechatfield.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I’ve been saying this for decades now…
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Remember Prop 36? Which promised to "help everyone come indoors" through longer prison sentences and drug treatments?
Guess how many people completed the drug treatment in the first 6 months!
Did you guess... 25?
calmatters.org/justice/2025...
Guess how many people completed the drug treatment in the first 6 months!
Did you guess... 25?
calmatters.org/justice/2025...
October 14, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Remember Prop 36? Which promised to "help everyone come indoors" through longer prison sentences and drug treatments?
Guess how many people completed the drug treatment in the first 6 months!
Did you guess... 25?
calmatters.org/justice/2025...
Guess how many people completed the drug treatment in the first 6 months!
Did you guess... 25?
calmatters.org/justice/2025...
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
I saw myself as maybe all in for J.B. Pritzker
But I am losing faith, rapidly.
Police state fascism in America is bigger than Trump. It's backed by Democrats just like Republicans. And it's not going anywhere
But I am losing faith, rapidly.
Police state fascism in America is bigger than Trump. It's backed by Democrats just like Republicans. And it's not going anywhere
Note: it's not even curfew yet.
State police just started pushing people off the business park corner. Here in the road, a brave group of demonstrators are attempting to hold their line.
State police just started pushing people off the business park corner. Here in the road, a brave group of demonstrators are attempting to hold their line.
October 11, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I saw myself as maybe all in for J.B. Pritzker
But I am losing faith, rapidly.
Police state fascism in America is bigger than Trump. It's backed by Democrats just like Republicans. And it's not going anywhere
But I am losing faith, rapidly.
Police state fascism in America is bigger than Trump. It's backed by Democrats just like Republicans. And it's not going anywhere
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
I get it, ICE is doing insane things.
Some pretend that state & local police haven’t subjected brown & black folk to same pain for time immemorial.
BUT:
Furtive glances and/or particula skin or bumper stickers or cultural affiliation have been enough to nullify the 4th amendment for a long time.
Some pretend that state & local police haven’t subjected brown & black folk to same pain for time immemorial.
BUT:
Furtive glances and/or particula skin or bumper stickers or cultural affiliation have been enough to nullify the 4th amendment for a long time.
October 11, 2025 at 4:39 AM
I get it, ICE is doing insane things.
Some pretend that state & local police haven’t subjected brown & black folk to same pain for time immemorial.
BUT:
Furtive glances and/or particula skin or bumper stickers or cultural affiliation have been enough to nullify the 4th amendment for a long time.
Some pretend that state & local police haven’t subjected brown & black folk to same pain for time immemorial.
BUT:
Furtive glances and/or particula skin or bumper stickers or cultural affiliation have been enough to nullify the 4th amendment for a long time.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage
During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.
It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’
During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...
chicago.suntimes.com
October 10, 2025 at 10:31 PM
aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Local cops are not on the side of Democratic politicians or under their actual control. People refuse to understand this too even though we've been making this point for decades.
October 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Local cops are not on the side of Democratic politicians or under their actual control. People refuse to understand this too even though we've been making this point for decades.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
An “immigration judge” is not an actual judge in the judicial branch. They are a DOJ employee.
As Judge Young, an actual judge, made clear in one of the truly essential parts of his Tuesday ruling. www.lawdork.com/p/judge-will...
As Judge Young, an actual judge, made clear in one of the truly essential parts of his Tuesday ruling. www.lawdork.com/p/judge-will...
October 2, 2025 at 3:34 AM
An “immigration judge” is not an actual judge in the judicial branch. They are a DOJ employee.
As Judge Young, an actual judge, made clear in one of the truly essential parts of his Tuesday ruling. www.lawdork.com/p/judge-will...
As Judge Young, an actual judge, made clear in one of the truly essential parts of his Tuesday ruling. www.lawdork.com/p/judge-will...
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
CPDA Executive Director Kate Chatfield spoke to @calmatters.org re: how resentencing is working for the formerly incarcerated:
“If you are looking at public safety, there is no reason to hold people in prison after they age out. That is what this data shows.”
Read: calmatters.org/justice/2025...
“If you are looking at public safety, there is no reason to hold people in prison after they age out. That is what this data shows.”
Read: calmatters.org/justice/2025...
California shrank its prisons with sentencing changes. A new study shows how that's working
California adopted major sentencing changes under Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown. A new report provides the first in-depth look at how they’re working.
calmatters.org
September 25, 2025 at 8:06 PM
CPDA Executive Director Kate Chatfield spoke to @calmatters.org re: how resentencing is working for the formerly incarcerated:
“If you are looking at public safety, there is no reason to hold people in prison after they age out. That is what this data shows.”
Read: calmatters.org/justice/2025...
“If you are looking at public safety, there is no reason to hold people in prison after they age out. That is what this data shows.”
Read: calmatters.org/justice/2025...
“Well, the next time someone brings up a terrible anecdote about Cambodia or Vietnam, I will definitely drop the Star Wars story to show that people have two sides.”
Chotiner is comedy gold.
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Chotiner is comedy gold.
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Can Liberalism Be Saved?
The legal scholar Cass Sunstein argues for a more expansive definition of an ideology under threat.
www.newyorker.com
September 25, 2025 at 3:11 AM
“Well, the next time someone brings up a terrible anecdote about Cambodia or Vietnam, I will definitely drop the Star Wars story to show that people have two sides.”
Chotiner is comedy gold.
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Chotiner is comedy gold.
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Tens of thousands of protestors marched in dozens of Italian cities today while strikes brought trains and highway transport to a halt after unions called a nationwide walkout in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Workers stage massive strike across Italy in support of Gaza
Unions put pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over backing for Israel.
ow.ly
September 22, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Tens of thousands of protestors marched in dozens of Italian cities today while strikes brought trains and highway transport to a halt after unions called a nationwide walkout in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Public defenders have warned for decades:
Police cannot be trusted to protect anything but capital.
The police state is bad.
The surveillance state is bad.
Courts won't save us.
Our laws are enforced selectively and oppressively.
Due process is flexible at best.
Wish we were correct less often.
Police cannot be trusted to protect anything but capital.
The police state is bad.
The surveillance state is bad.
Courts won't save us.
Our laws are enforced selectively and oppressively.
Due process is flexible at best.
Wish we were correct less often.
NOTUS:
Dem House Rep Steven Horsford:
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me. These are the same people that I’m supposed to call to coordinate security or to do support when I have a town hall.”
www.notus.org/democrats/me...
Dem House Rep Steven Horsford:
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me. These are the same people that I’m supposed to call to coordinate security or to do support when I have a town hall.”
www.notus.org/democrats/me...
Democrats' New Fear: They Can’t Rely on Local Law Enforcement for Protection
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me,” said Rep. Steven Horsford.
www.notus.org
September 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Public defenders have warned for decades:
Police cannot be trusted to protect anything but capital.
The police state is bad.
The surveillance state is bad.
Courts won't save us.
Our laws are enforced selectively and oppressively.
Due process is flexible at best.
Wish we were correct less often.
Police cannot be trusted to protect anything but capital.
The police state is bad.
The surveillance state is bad.
Courts won't save us.
Our laws are enforced selectively and oppressively.
Due process is flexible at best.
Wish we were correct less often.
Reposted by Kate Chatfield
Damn, he's good, and right.
September 16, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Damn, he's good, and right.
“California’s largest immigration detention center has already filled up with 500 [people] since it quietly opened 2 weeks ago…advocates and lawyers say..private prison operator CoreCivic flouted state laws and the municipal code in its rapid pursuit to open…”
www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...
www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...
California’s largest ICE detention facility has 500 detainees. ‘It’s total chaos’
The privately-operated Kern County facility quietly opened in late August.
www.fresnobee.com
September 17, 2025 at 12:29 AM
“California’s largest immigration detention center has already filled up with 500 [people] since it quietly opened 2 weeks ago…advocates and lawyers say..private prison operator CoreCivic flouted state laws and the municipal code in its rapid pursuit to open…”
www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...
www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...