February 2006

Hourly Rate Increases for CJA Attorneys

The Judiciary Appropriations Act of 2006, P.L. 109-115, included funds to raise the hourly compensation rates for attorneys appointed to represent eligible persons under the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, and the death penalty provisions of 21 U.S.C. 848(q), as amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The non-capital hourly compensation rate increased from $90 to $92, and the maximum hourly rate for federal capital prosecutions and capital post-conviction proceedings increased from $160 to $163. The new hourly compensation rates apply to work performed on or after January 1, 2006.