Criminal Justice Act

Under the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. sec. 3006A, all persons charged with federal offenses who are financially unable to obtain adequate representation are entitled to appointment of counsel to represent them.  The Federal Public Defender is appointed to represent approximately 75% of financially eligible federal defendants in Maryland.  The remaining eligible defendants are represented by private attorneys who have qualified for appointment under the Criminal Justice Act panel. 

Clients or persons who think they may be eligible for representation by the Federal Public Defender for Maryland may wish to review our General Client Information Guidebook" which describes in lay terms how the federal criminal system operates and how federally appointed counsel will go about their task of representing you.

The U.S. District Court has published a Guide to the Criminal Justice Act which provides helpful information about the functioning of the CJA in misdemeanor cases.

This website contains a private "CJA Only" area intended for use by members of the Criminal Justice Act panel, federal defenders, and other defense attorneys whose practices involve federal criminal defense in the District of Maryland.  The private area contains our brief bank, discussion threads, downward departure ideas, and directories of individuals and resources.