Stuart Hanlon
Encyclopedia
Stuart Hanlon is a criminal defense lawyer
based in San Francisco, California
. He has gone to trial over 150 times and handled thousands of cases. He is most well known for defending Geronimo Pratt
and members of the Symbionese Liberation Army
.
in 1970, where he became involved with the radical politics of the ‘60s. In 1975, Hanlon graduated from Hastings College of the Law
in San Francisco. He was well-known at Hastings for wearing flowing Moroccan robes
and distributing politically militant leaflets.
tennis
court was front page news. The Los Angeles Police Department
had no leads until late 1970 when former Black Panther Julio Butler wrote to the L.A.P.D. that Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt had once bragged to him about the tennis court killing. Pratt maintained that he was innocent, because the F.B.I. had him under surveillance in Oakland when the slaying was committed in Santa Monica. In 1972, the court convicted Pratt of first-degree murder. As soon as the verdict was read, Pratt exploded, saying "Guilty! You’re wrong. I didn’t kill that woman, you racist dogs."
In 1975, as a third-year law student at Hastings, Hanlon volunteered to work as a paralegal on prisoner rights cases at San Quentin State Prison
. It was there that he met Geronimo Pratt (also known as Geronimo Ji Jaga); the year before Pratt had been denied a hearing by both the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Their first meeting was cut short when one of the prisoners on the other side of the glass barrier slashed a guard with a homemade blade, causing a squad of riot guards to rush in and beat all the prisoners with their batons. On their second visit, Hanlon found a steel-tipped Afro comb on his chair. After asking Pratt what it was, Pratt responded with “Don’t touch it man. It’s a setup. They’ll say you’re passing me a weapon. Call a guard quick.” Despite these initial roadblocks and misgivings about law as a career, Hanlon concluded that he would become a lawyer, and that his first case would be Pratt’s.
Over the ensuing 25 years, Pratt was turned down for parole 16 times and every appeal for a reversal of the guilty verdict was denied. Hanlon stated "I've been a lawyer for almost 20 years, and I win almost every trial I do... I win federal drug cases and murder trials. It just boggles my mind that we have continued to lose Pratt's case. There could be 10 reversals on the evidence we have." Hanlon developed a close relationship with Pratt, calling Pratt one of his 2 or 3 closest friends in the world.
In June 1997, Pratt was released from prison when an Orange County Superior Court judge reversed his murder conviction, on the basis that a key prosecution witness, Julius Butler was a felon
and an F.B.I. informant. Regarding the verdict, Hanlon said "It doesn’t prove that justice works... To me, if it takes 27 years and this kind of legal struggle to get someone out, it doesn’t prove anything about justice. But on the other hand, it’s a resolution that makes sense and lets everybody move on with their life." In April 2000, Hanlon won a $4.5 million verdict for Pratt in his civil action suit against the city of Los Angeles
and the F.B.I. It was the first time the F.B.I. paid out money in a verdict when it was not involved in the prosecution. In describing the verdict, Hanlon said “they still deny culpability for what happened to Pratt. But you don’t pay that amount of money if you didn’t do anything wrong." Johnnie Cochran
, who worked on the case with Hanlon from the beginning, has called Pratt’s case the most important of his career.
, for the 1975 murder of a Sacramento woman during a bank robbery. He also represented and won the acquittal of another member of the SLA, Russell Little, for his role in the murder of an Oakland School Superintendent. The trials were worldwide news.
Hanlon was one of the attorneys who won the acquittal of Chol Soo Lee, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering San Francisco Chinatown gang member Yip Yee Tak. The case was profiled on ABC
’s 20/20, and parts of Hanlon’s opening statement were used in the movie True Believer
, which was based on the trial.
In 2003, Hanlon defended San Francisco Deputy Police Chief Greg Suhr against charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The charge stemmed from the investigation into a street fight in which three rookie officers were charged with felony assault, with those officers in turn accusing Suhr and ten other officers of obstructing justice. Defending a police chief was a first for Hanlon, and the charges were eventually dropped by the judge.
Hanlon won the acquittal of Renato Hughes, who was charged for the inadvertent murder of two of his childhood friends, and defended Herman Bell, who was part of the San Francisco 8
.
called Hanlon “one of the best lawyers in San Francisco,” noting that “he is a tenacious fighter who lulls courtroom adversaries into a false sense of security with his friendly manner and then goes for the jugular. As of 2002, of the 41 clients he's represented who were charged with first-degree murder, only two have been convicted as charged.
Super Lawyers named Hanlon to their list in 1997 and 2000.
1997 he was named the California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine. In 1998, he received the National Lawyers Guild Award.
Criminal defense lawyer
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. Criminal defense lawyers can be permanently employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts. Such lawyers are often called public defenders. For a much more...
based in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He has gone to trial over 150 times and handled thousands of cases. He is most well known for defending Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga , also known as Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt born: Elmer Pratt, was a high ranking member of the Black Panther Party...
and members of the Symbionese Liberation Army
Symbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
.
Early life
Hanlon graduated from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1970, where he became involved with the radical politics of the ‘60s. In 1975, Hanlon graduated from Hastings College of the Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a public law school in San Francisco, California, located in the Civic Center neighborhood....
in San Francisco. He was well-known at Hastings for wearing flowing Moroccan robes
Djellaba
Djellaba is a traditional long, loose-fitting outer robe with full sleeves worn in the Maghreb region of North Africa and in Arabic-speaking countries along the Mediterranean.Traditionally djellabas are made of wool in different shapes and colors though nowadays...
and distributing politically militant leaflets.
Geronimo Pratt
In 1968, the murder of Caroline Olsen by two black men on a Santa MonicaSanta Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
court was front page news. The Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
had no leads until late 1970 when former Black Panther Julio Butler wrote to the L.A.P.D. that Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt had once bragged to him about the tennis court killing. Pratt maintained that he was innocent, because the F.B.I. had him under surveillance in Oakland when the slaying was committed in Santa Monica. In 1972, the court convicted Pratt of first-degree murder. As soon as the verdict was read, Pratt exploded, saying "Guilty! You’re wrong. I didn’t kill that woman, you racist dogs."
In 1975, as a third-year law student at Hastings, Hanlon volunteered to work as a paralegal on prisoner rights cases at San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
. It was there that he met Geronimo Pratt (also known as Geronimo Ji Jaga); the year before Pratt had been denied a hearing by both the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Their first meeting was cut short when one of the prisoners on the other side of the glass barrier slashed a guard with a homemade blade, causing a squad of riot guards to rush in and beat all the prisoners with their batons. On their second visit, Hanlon found a steel-tipped Afro comb on his chair. After asking Pratt what it was, Pratt responded with “Don’t touch it man. It’s a setup. They’ll say you’re passing me a weapon. Call a guard quick.” Despite these initial roadblocks and misgivings about law as a career, Hanlon concluded that he would become a lawyer, and that his first case would be Pratt’s.
Over the ensuing 25 years, Pratt was turned down for parole 16 times and every appeal for a reversal of the guilty verdict was denied. Hanlon stated "I've been a lawyer for almost 20 years, and I win almost every trial I do... I win federal drug cases and murder trials. It just boggles my mind that we have continued to lose Pratt's case. There could be 10 reversals on the evidence we have." Hanlon developed a close relationship with Pratt, calling Pratt one of his 2 or 3 closest friends in the world.
In June 1997, Pratt was released from prison when an Orange County Superior Court judge reversed his murder conviction, on the basis that a key prosecution witness, Julius Butler was a felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
and an F.B.I. informant. Regarding the verdict, Hanlon said "It doesn’t prove that justice works... To me, if it takes 27 years and this kind of legal struggle to get someone out, it doesn’t prove anything about justice. But on the other hand, it’s a resolution that makes sense and lets everybody move on with their life." In April 2000, Hanlon won a $4.5 million verdict for Pratt in his civil action suit against the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and the F.B.I. It was the first time the F.B.I. paid out money in a verdict when it was not involved in the prosecution. In describing the verdict, Hanlon said “they still deny culpability for what happened to Pratt. But you don’t pay that amount of money if you didn’t do anything wrong." Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J...
, who worked on the case with Hanlon from the beginning, has called Pratt’s case the most important of his career.
Career
Hanlon represented Emily Harris and her ex-husband William Harris, two members of the Symbionese Liberation ArmySymbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
, for the 1975 murder of a Sacramento woman during a bank robbery. He also represented and won the acquittal of another member of the SLA, Russell Little, for his role in the murder of an Oakland School Superintendent. The trials were worldwide news.
Hanlon was one of the attorneys who won the acquittal of Chol Soo Lee, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering San Francisco Chinatown gang member Yip Yee Tak. The case was profiled on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s 20/20, and parts of Hanlon’s opening statement were used in the movie True Believer
True Believer (1989 film)
True Believer is a 1989 courtroom drama directed by Joseph Ruben and released by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:The film stars James Woods as burnt-out attorney Eddie Dodd, who has left behind civil rights work to defend drug dealers. Robert Downey Jr...
, which was based on the trial.
In 2003, Hanlon defended San Francisco Deputy Police Chief Greg Suhr against charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The charge stemmed from the investigation into a street fight in which three rookie officers were charged with felony assault, with those officers in turn accusing Suhr and ten other officers of obstructing justice. Defending a police chief was a first for Hanlon, and the charges were eventually dropped by the judge.
Hanlon won the acquittal of Renato Hughes, who was charged for the inadvertent murder of two of his childhood friends, and defended Herman Bell, who was part of the San Francisco 8
San Francisco 8
In January 2007, eight former Black Panthers were arrested for their alleged involvement in the 1971 murder of Sgt. John V. Young at Ingleside Police station, a thirty-six year old unsolved crime....
.
Reception
The San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called Hanlon “one of the best lawyers in San Francisco,” noting that “he is a tenacious fighter who lulls courtroom adversaries into a false sense of security with his friendly manner and then goes for the jugular. As of 2002, of the 41 clients he's represented who were charged with first-degree murder, only two have been convicted as charged.
Super Lawyers named Hanlon to their list in 1997 and 2000.
1997 he was named the California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine. In 1998, he received the National Lawyers Guild Award.