The Office of the Federal Public Defender, Western District of Texas, operates under authority of the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 (CJA), 18 U.S.C. § 3006A. It provides defense services in federal criminal cases and other covered matters to individuals who are financially unable to obtain adequate representation. A person’s eligibility for defender services is determined by the federal court. Defender organization attorneys may not engage in the private practice of law.
The defender organization for this district is headquartered in San Antonio, and it has staffed branches in El Paso, Del Rio, Austin, and Alpine.
The primary purpose of this site is to support CJA panel attorneys of the Western District of Texas in their appointed cases. Additionally, information is provided for federal defendants and others interested in criminal cases in our district. None of the information on this site is intended as, or should be taken as, legal advice.
This is a seminar for the members of the El Paso Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel dealing with various aspects of representing defendants in federal court on immigration matters.
Congress has authorized and provided funds to increase the hourly rates and compensation maximums for Criminal Justice Act cases. The non-capital hourly attorney rate will go up from $110 to $125. The new rates apply to work performed on or after January 1, 2010. Click here for memo with additional rate increases and more details.
On September 29, 2009, the District Judges of the San Antonio Division entered the attached Standing Order regarding Reimbursement of Attorneys in the CJA Plan Mentoring Program.