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. 

The 2026 application period for the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel has closed, and panel selections have been completed. Attorneys interested in future CJA Panel membership or participation in the CJA Mentorship Program are encouraged to apply during the next application cycle. Information regarding future application periods will be posted on this page and sent to active members of our bar when updates become available.

• CJA Panels as of 6/1/2026 (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.