Pursuant to its Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Plan, on June 1, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri approved CJA Panels of attorneys to accept appointments in criminal cases.  Three Panels were created, one each for the Western/St. Joseph, Central and Southern/Southwestern Divisions.   The terms of the initial CJA Panel members were staggered over three years.  One-third of each Panel was randomly selected to serve for one year; one-third of each Panel was randomly selected to serve for two years; and one-third of each Panel was randomly selected to serve for three years.  All future appointments will be for three years. 

Beginning February 5, 2024, the Court will accept new CJA applications as well as renewal applications from those CJA members whose terms expire on May 31, 2024. The application also includes the opportunity to apply for a mentorship program. The mentorship program, developed by the Federal Public Defender’s office, provides training to attorneys who do not have the requisite experience to qualify for membership on the regular panel. The deadline for application submissions is Monday, March 4, 2024.

• CJA Panels as of 8/6/2024 (all divisions)
• CJA Application
• CJA Plan
• CJA Mentorship Program Description

The Court has implemented the CJA eVoucher program for electronic submission of CJA Vouchers.  In the Attorney Materials section are several documents to introduce you to the eVoucher System.