JUDGE THOMPSON REPORT CARD

Patrick Thompson was appointed to the Superior Court and assumed office on March 14, 2022. His current term ends on January 6, 2025.  A Harvard Law School graduate, he previously served as partner at two law firms with a business litigation practice, often representing corporate clients who face government claims in price-fixing and monopolization cases. His business litigation practice included defending class actions involving false advertising and unfair business practice claims, as well as other complex commercial litigation, according to his former law firm Perkins Coie.

Grade: FAIL

Survey Rating: Judge Thompson has by far the lowest survey rating of all judges evaluated by trial attorneys, a 1.9 on a scale of 1 to 7. He scored particularly low on knowledge of criminal law.

Refused to answer any questions posed to judges regarding voter education, appeals of their decisions, published writings, judicial application, etc.

Case History: Judge Thompson released drug dealer defendants on their own recognizance in 17 different cases during the period studied. Ten of the defendants Judge Thompson released had been arrested for committing new felonies when they were previously given pretrial release on their prior active felony cases.  Of the 14 judges whose terms are expiring in January 2025, Judges Thompson and Rhoads are similarly likely to release defendants who are arrested for new felonies after they had been given pretrial release on their prior cases. No other judge we evaluated appears to have a comparable rate, but more limited data for the other 12 judges makes a meaningful comparison impossible.

Example 1: Alleged drug dealer Darbin Hernon was arrested on July 4, 2023, while on release from custody in a previous felony offense.  He was then charged with four drug felony counts, including “Possession for sale of cocaine base ... a felony, in that the said defendant did willfully and unlawfully possess for sale and purchases for purposes of sale cocaine base.” He was released soon after by Judge Thompson with no bail requirement. He subsequently skipped his hearing two weeks later, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest by Judge Rochelle East. - Case 23009976

Example 2: Judge Patrick Thompson released alleged drug dealer Joshua Vicente Lopez without bail on July 6, 2023 despite his 14 previous arrests for drug trafficking and other crimes. Before he could go to trial, Lopez was again arrested by SFPD on September 7 with nearly a kilo (2.2 pounds) of fentanyl and other drugs.  A federal judge took the decision out of the hands of local judges on October 30, ordering Lopez held without bail. A kilo of fentanyl could kill as many as 500,000 San Franciscans.  Armed drug trafficker, freed by SF court, detained by federal judge - San Francisco Public Safety News (sfpublicsafety.news). 

Example 3: In October of 2022, JudgeThompson dismissed the People’s case and released defendant Brandon Liggins, who had allegedly stolen a car and faced a joyriding charge and two counts of receiving stolen property. However, two weeks later, Judge Christopher Hite found that Thompson had “erred” in dismissing the case, and then granted a motion by the People to reinstate the case. Thompson repeatedly interrupted Assistant DA Samantha Persaud mid-argument and began a heated exchange, criticizing her because an officer was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict, despite her explaining the timing was within the statutory limit.

Example 4: Judge Patrick Thompson released alleged drug dealer Erik Ramos Diaz on his own recognizance with a GPS monitoring device. Before Ramos was released on his most recent case for possession of fentanyl for sale, he had four other open felony drug cases from late 2022 to mid-2023.   The latest case had a 12022.1 enhancement for committing a new felony while on his own recognizance.  These facts were known to Thompson before he ordered that Diaz be released again.  Ramos Diaz, who reportedly cut off his GPS monitoring device, is currently a fugitive.

Example 5: Judge Thompson denied a motion to detain drug dealer Jefferson Arrechaga without bail, despite Arrechaga having had over half a kilo of drugs (1.1lbs+) on him, including 170.8g of fentanyl. On August 25, 2022, the defendant was charged with 15 felony counts related to drug dealing. Arrechaga is a repeat offender, having been convicted in 2013 and 2018 for dealing drugs as well. In addition to the drugs, he was arrested with $3,000 in cash and two digital scales. The amount of fentanyl the defendant possessed was enough to kill 85,400 people. Thompson said he was “persuaded” by Arrechaga’s defense that he was selling drugs to support his family in Oakland but would now “do the right thing” with programming. Thompson then released him on his own recognizance.

Comments from Court Observers:

“Judge Thompson is vindictive and extremely biased against the Prosecution and in favor of the defense. He will go through extreme lengths to help certain defendants even when the evidence of guilt is overwhelming against the defendant. Defendant stabbed victim in the hand requiring surgery. It was on video. No evidence of self-defense. Judge Thompson said in this case the stabbing by Defendant to the victim was not assault with a deadly weapon. Then Judge Thompson reduced the other count to a misdemeanor. He also victim blamed. The public is not safe when Judge Thompson believes a stabbing with a knife is not assault with a deadly weapon.” – Case23405922

“There are simply too many cases to name. He is a very temperamental irrational judge without the appropriate knowledge of criminal law to be in his position and the stubborn ignorance to refuse to recognize his limitations.”

“Always thinks he's smartest person in the room. He makes up his own law: ‘Thompson's rules of evidence’ is what attorneys say about him. He is learning, but his hubris gets in the way. But getting better with experience."

“Defendant attempted to steal/rob from a store. Security guard confronts Defendant. Defendant hits security guard victim in the head with a 5-lb metal weight tied to a stick and rope "mace." Guard goes to the hospital with a gash on his head and Judge Thompson finds that Defendant did not commit battery with serious bodily injury and makes the case a misdemeanor. Case 23013638.”

Media reports:

Judge Patrick Thompson Supports San Francisco Drug Dealers - Financial Samurai 

September 2023 – Judge Thompson named (along with other judges) in “mystery flyers” about two fentanyl dealers who they ordered released: https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/07/mystery-flyers-in-san-francisco-target-judges-alleged-drug-dealers/ 

Congratulated by his law firm upon appointment: https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/news-insights/perkins-coie-congratulates-partner-patrick-thompson-on-his-appointment-to-the-san-francisco-county-superior-court.html 

Armed drug trafficker freed by Thompson detained by Federal judge: https://sfpublicsafety.news/armed-drug-trafficker-freed-by-sf-court-detained-by-federal-judge/