Criminal Justice Act — Judicial Business 2025

The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) established a system for furnishing representation for individuals with limited financial resources in federal criminal proceedings. Each district has a plan for providing representation through private panel attorneys and, where established, federal public or community defender organizations. This year, 83 federal defender organizations (FDOs) (66 federal public defender organizations and 17 community defender organizations) served 92 of the 94 federal judicial districts.

A combined total of 162,239 cases opened by FDOs and representations by CJA panel attorneys were authorized, a decrease of 8 percent from last year. The number of panel representations, which is derived from the count of voucher payments to attorneys, was impacted by the suspension of all panel payments, which started July 3, 2025, and continued through the end of the fiscal year.

Ninety-one percent of federal judicial districts had lower criminal caseloads. The largest percentage decreases occurred in the Southern District of Alabama (down 54 percent), Western District of Virginia (down 46 percent), and District of South Carolina (down 42 percent). The largest percentage increases occurred in the Southern District of Texas (up 65 percent), District of New Mexico (up 62 percent), and Middle District of Alabama (up 18 percent). The decline in caseloads corresponds to the transitions of United States attorneys and the departures of line personnel in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Cases closed by the 83 federal public and community defender organizations (including representations in criminal matters, appeals, and habeas corpus proceedings) rose 2 percent from the previous year to 111,022. Representations for which appointed panel attorneys were compensated under the CJA fell 12 percent to 55,039, reflecting the suspension in panel payments during the final quarter of the fiscal year.

The number of CJA panel attorneys who were paid through the eVoucher system was 8,504.

For a summary of federal defender appointments under the CJA for the past five years, see Table S-21. For information on representations for each federal public and community defender organization, see Table K-1.