The Office of the Federal Public Defender, Southern District of Texas, operates under authority of the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 (CJA), 18 U.S.C. § 3006A. It provides defense services in federal criminal cases and other covered matters to individuals who are financially unable to obtain adequate representation. A person’s eligibility for defender services is determined by the federal court. Defender organization attorneys may not engage in the private practice of law.
The defender organization for this district is headquartered in Houston, and it has staffed branches in Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and McAllen.
The primary purpose of this site is to support CJA panel attorneys of the Southern District of Texas in their appointed cases. Additionally, information is provided for federal defendants and others interested in criminal cases in our district. None of the information on this site is intended as, or should be taken as, legal advice.
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The information supplied on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon to make legal decisions. Interacting via e-mail or otherwise with this site does not constitute the creation of an attorney/client relationship with the Federal Public Defender's Office for the Southern District of Texas or any of the firm's attorneys. This is a restricted government system for official judiciary business only. All activities on this system for any purpose, and all access attempts, may be recorded and monitored or reviewed by persons authorized by the federal judiciary for improper use, protection of system security, performance of maintenance, and appropriate management by the judiciary of its systems. By using this system or any connected system, users expressly consent to system monitoring and to official access to data reviewed and created by them on the system. Any evidence of unlawful activity, including unauthorized access attempts, may be reported to law enforcement officials.©2025 Federal Public Defender - Southern District of Texas