District Attorney

San Francisco’s latest prosecutor, Terrence Hallinan, has a reputation for being a liberal – but he has his own ideas on how to fight crime. Elected late last year, Hallinan is an advocate of greater gun control, opposes the death penalty, and believes that those arrested for minor offenses should not be jailed. He wants to use California’s tough `three-strike’ law only against vicious, violent criminals. 

It’s not surprising, given his record as a civil rights campaigner in the 60’s, and also his own criminal record. The former amateur boxer and criminal defense lawyer was arrested three times for brawls which resulted in criminal charges. After a two-year court fight regarding his eligibility to practice law, he was admitted to the state bar. 

After defending a number of prominent cases with his brother, Patrick, and now-deceased father, Vincent – who once ran for President under the Progressive Party banner – Hallinan was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1988. 

His father, he said, taught his sons to fight. Hallinan made the 1960 Olympic trials, and fought at college level while at Berkeley. 

Hallinan’s sojourn as District Attorney is sure to be a memorable one as liberalism combines with crime-fighting.