A judge in Santa Clara County Superior Court declared a mistrial on Friday in the prosecution of five current and former Stanford University students connected to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests in which demonstrators occupied the university president's office.
The defendants faced felony counts alleging vandalism and conspiracy to trespass related to an incident in which protesters barricaded themselves inside the building. Prosecutors said the case stemmed from events last year when demonstrators entered the president's office, and they have maintained that unlawful property destruction occurred.
Authorities initially brought felony vandalism charges against 12 people in connection with the occupation; prosecutors said at least one person entered the building by breaking a window. Police arrested 13 individuals on June 5, 2024, in relation to the episode, and the university reported that the office sustained "extensive" damage.
The trial narrowed to five defendants who did not resolve their cases through plea agreements or diversion. Others involved in the matter previously accepted plea deals or entered diversion programs, according to court records.
After deliberations, the jury failed to reach unanimous verdicts. The panel voted nine to three in favor of conviction on the felony vandalism count and eight to four in favor of conviction on the felony conspiracy to trespass count. Because the jury did not reach verdicts, the judge declared a mistrial.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen issued a statement characterizing the accused as having "destroyed someone else's property and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage," and said he would seek a new trial.
Defense counsel for one of the students framed the matter differently. Anthony Brass, representing a defendant, told reporters that his client was not advocating lawlessness but rather "the concept of transparency and ethical investment." Brass called the mistrial "a win for these young people of conscience and a win for free speech," and added that "humanitarian activism has no place in a criminal courtroom."
The charges brought in this case were among the most serious leveled against participants in the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that swept U.S. college campuses in 2024. Those campus actions included demands to end Israel's war in Gaza, calls for Washington to stop supporting Israel, and pushes for university divestment from companies seen as supporting Israel.
Protesters involved in the Stanford occupation renamed the building informally as "Dr. Adnan's Office" in reference to Adnan Al-Bursh, a Palestinian doctor who died while detained in an Israeli prison after months of detention. The broader 2024 protest movement saw large-scale enforcement responses; media tallies counted over 3,000 arrests nationwide, and some students faced campus disciplinary measures including suspension, expulsion and degree revocation.
With the mistrial recorded, the district attorney has indicated he will pursue another trial. Until a retrial is filed and adjudicated, the legal status of the five defendants remains unresolved.
Key context:
- The case grew out of a June 5, 2024 arrest operation that involved 13 people, with prosecutors initially charging 12 individuals with felony vandalism.
- The trial against five defendants ended without a verdict after the jury split nine to three on vandalism and eight to four on conspiracy to trespass.
- Prosecutors say the occupation caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage; defense attorneys described the actions as political protest centered on transparency and ethical investment.