JUDGE HITE REPORT CARD
Christoper Hite was appointed to the Superior Court in December 2015 by former Governor Jerry Brown. Judge Hite graduated from Santa Clara University where he earned a B.S in 1991 and a J.D in 1994. He also received a master’s degree from Golden Gate University. He spent the first two years working as a sole practitioner and then worked as a legal consultant for the San Francisco branch of the N.A.A.C.P. In 1998 Judge Hite joined the office of the Public Defender of San Francisco County. During his tenure there he chaired the Racial Justice Committee, which collaborated with the University of Pennsylvania to increase police transparency and safeguard against racial bias.
Grade: PASS
Survey Rating: Judge Hite earned a moderately high average survey rating of 5.5 from trial attorneys who closely observe the courts. His highest rating was for professionalism and judicial temperament. Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 the highest score. When asked which judge they would want to appear before for an important trial for a serious crime, numerous trial attorneys named Judge Hite in their top three, including two respondents who listed him as their top choice.
Refused to answer any questions posed to judges regarding voter education, appeals of their decisions, published writings, judicial application, etc.
Case History: Judge Hite issued very few orders in narcotics sales case during the period of our study, so no conclusions are possible.
Example: In case 23015364, Judge Hwang set bail at $85,000 for defendant Arlin Barahona-Erazo for possession of a controlled substance (narcotics) for sale. Shortly thereafter (10/10/23) Judge Hite denied a Motion to Detain the defendant but the bail remained as previously set. Hite also found that there was sufficient cause to believe the defendant guilty. This occurred while defendant Barahona-Erazo was released on bail or on his own recognizance for another offense, also possession of controlled substance for sale, for which he had been arrested on 9/22/22 according to https://www.localcrimenews.com/welcome/detail/81781351/arlin-barahona-erazo-arrest.html.
Comments from Court Observers: “Only pays lip service to victims' rights. Doesn't allow victims to testify at some stages of the trial, contrary to Marcy's Law.” (No other comments were received).
Appeals: Judge Hite has been appealed 6 times during his 8-year judicial career, but his rulings have been fully upheld in three out of six appeals. Cases where his ruling was overturned in part were largely on technical grounds, with no obvious indication of judicial bias.
Media:
Judge Hite dismisses 64,713 quality of life misdemeanors: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/SF-courts-ignoring-thousands-of-quality-of-life-10611766.php
Judge Hite's sentencing of serial car burglar DeShawn Patton in 2018:
· 2018-08-09: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/Lenient-court-system-weakens-city-s-attempts-to-13145711.php
“Then-Mayor Ed Lee was irate at the decision (to dismiss 64,713 warrants on quality of life crimes, saying the point of citations isn’t to collect money from poor people, but as leverage to compel them to accept treatment, shelter and other services. At the time, Lee said through a spokeswoman that the judges were not “meeting the responsibilities voters elected them to. When one branch of government fails — be it executive, legislative or judicial — we all fail.”
“But one San Francisco Superior Court judge apparently believes in ninth chances. He indicated that this month he’ll release from jail one of the city’s most prolific auto burglars, a man with a lengthy rap sheet involving eight car burglaries, some of which turned violent.”
“In April, the grand jury indicted Deshawn Patton, 21, of San Bruno on 20 counts, including 11 felonies, related to eight car break-ins over the course of a year. Four times, police caught Patton in the act, but he fled ... On April 20, 2017, court records show, he ran a stop sign to escape police and hit a Nissan with such force it wrapped around a tree and was totaled. Patton didn’t stop to help the driver, who was knocked unconscious and hospitalized for four days with head and rib injuries. Incredibly, this spree, which took place from April 2016 to May 2017, happened while Patton was on probation for a previous car break-in, to which he pleaded guilty in October 2015.
“But Patton’s attorney and (Judge) Hite reached their own tentative deal. Patton agreed to plead guilty to most of the grand jury charges, and Hite indicated he will put him on probation and release him, according to several people present in the courtroom that day.”
· https://48hills.org/2018/08/judge-soft-on-crime/
· https://48hills.org/2018/10/deshawn-patton-sentenced-to-state-prison/
Postscript on car burglar DeShawn Patton:
· Patton again detained in March 2022 for more burglaries: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Three-men-charged-with-felonies-in-string-of-S-F-16987653.php