A Santa Clara County judge on Thursday deferred plea entries for 12 people charged with felony vandalism and other crimes stemming from a June 2024 protest at Stanford University’s executive offices.
The hearing took place at the county’s Superior Court in Palo Alto, where Judge Vincent Chiarello granted the defendants’ requests to postpone their pleas until Aug. 1.
Several defendants also asked to be considered for a diversion program through the probation department, which would allow them to perform community service as a result of their alleged actions last summer. If convicted, those charged face up to three years in jail and fines up to $50,000.
Renee Hessling, who represents defendant Taylor McCann, said legal teams needed more time to review materials.
Dozens of supporters of the group of protesters — dubbed the “Stanford 12” by activists — gathered outside the courthouse but were met with a heavy law enforcement presence. Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies arrived hours before the hearing and appeared to outnumber the crowd. A white detention bus was parked out front.
Deputies enforced court restrictions strictly on Thursday, handing out copies of a standing order to supporters and members of the media that bans protests, broadcasting or photography on courthouse property.
Unlike a previous hearing in May, where deputies threatened arrests, the crowd Thursday dispersed quietly, without chants or rallies.
A photojournalist from this news organization was warned not to take photos on courthouse property, including the parking lot.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced in May that the 12 individuals would face charges in connection with the June 5 incident, which prosecutors allege caused between $360,000 and $1 million in property damage.
Authorities said the group barricaded themselves inside university offices as part of a broader campus demonstration demanding that Stanford divest from companies tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine said prosecution of the activists sends a dangerous signal.
“We call on the District Attorney to immediately drop these charges. This is a blatant misuse of judicial resources and a disturbing attempt to criminalize dissent,” the group said in a statement. “Prosecuting peaceful protestors sends a chilling message and echoes the kind of anti-democratic, (Donald) Trump-style attacks on free speech that have no place in our community.”
Attorneys for several defendants also pushed back in a joint statement.
Hessling, Dana Fite, Brendan Barrett and Leah Gillis — who respectively represent defendants McCann, Cameron Pennington, Isabel Terrazas and Maya Burke — said the protest was consistent with a long history of peaceful civil disobedience on campus.
“This is a unique time in our society where young people recognize a call to action for moral conscience is required,” the attorneys said. “Just like many Stanford sit-ins in the past, the students’ actions in this case were part of a peaceful protest intended to express deeply held humanitarian beliefs. The charges of felony vandalism are grossly exaggerated and fail to reflect the nonviolent and peaceful nature of the sit-in.”
At the group’s arraignment in May, hundreds of demonstrators rallied peacefully outside the courthouse of the same Superior Court, where they were first informed of the order banning public assembly on court grounds. Sheriff’s deputies responded in riot gear then and threatened to arrest supporters if they did not disperse. After which, supporters moved their gathering to a public park.
Stanford’s response to pro-Palestine student activism has drawn criticism from across the spectrum.
A university subcommittee found evidence of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on campus, while a separate report documented incidents of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students.
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