(SANTA CLARA, CA, 5/8/2026) — The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge’s decision disqualifying District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his entire office from retrying the felony case against five pro-Palestinian Stanford protesters, commonly known as the Stanford 11.
Judge Kelley Paul reportedly ruled Thursday that Rosen’s office could not continue prosecuting the case because of a conflict of interest, citing concerns over Rosen’s use of the prosecution in campaign materials and public messaging framing the case as part of his efforts to fight antisemitism, even though the defendants were not charged with a hate crime.
The ruling follows months of concern from civil rights advocates, students, and community members who warned that the prosecution was politically motivated and risked criminalizing pro-Palestinian speech and campus protest.
The case stems from a June 2024 protest inside Stanford University’s president’s office calling on the university to divest from companies tied to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Five defendants went to trial earlier this year on felony vandalism and conspiracy charges, but the case ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. Rosen had announced plans to retry the case.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“Today’s ruling is an important acknowledgment that prosecutors cannot use their office to advance political narratives, fundraise off active prosecutions, or brand pro-Palestinian defendants with accusations that are not reflected in the charges. While this decision does not end the case, it should be the beginning of the end. The California Attorney General’s Office should do what DA Rosen refused to do: drop these charges and stop the criminalization of students who protested genocide.”
CAIR-SFBA said the ruling also underscores broader concerns about the selective and excessive prosecution of pro-Palestinian protesters across the Bay Area and nationwide.
“Students should not face years of prosecution because they challenged institutional complicity in violence abroad,” Billoo said. “At a time when Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied students have faced doxing, discipline, surveillance, and criminal charges for speaking out, this case has sent a chilling message. The state should not double down on that harm.”
The California Attorney General’s Office is now expected to determine whether to continue the prosecution, appeal the ruling, or drop the charges.
CAIR-SFBA is calling on Attorney General Rob Bonta to decline further prosecution and dismiss the case.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com