FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER
Southern District of Texas
404(b)
CJA Panel Training
Tuesday May 10, 2022

The Criminal Justice Act (“CJA”) provides for the appointment of counsel in criminal cases to persons who are financially unable to obtain adequate representation. 18 U.S.C. § 3006A(a). In the Southern District of Texas, in cases where the Federal Public Defender has not been appointed to represent a defendant who is entitled to the assistance of appointed counsel, individual defense attorneys are chosen from a federal panel. The Federal Public Defender is charged with assuring that members of the CJA panel are familiar with federal criminal practice.

Understanding FRE 404(b) can be quite scary. It’s not necessarily because the rule itself is scary to comprehend. What’s scary about FRE 404(b) is that it is like a hairnet trying to hold back a boulder. And, even sometimes when you know the Rule really well you can still lose the battle. This lecture walks us through FRE 404(b), the logistics and processes, from start to finish in a way that works with our theory of the case. This talk will give counsel helpful hints to protect your client against the dastardly conduct by the government of trying to use your client’s dastardly other conduct to help secure a conviction. And, did you know that you can use the Rule offensively, too? Get ready. FRE 404(b) packs a lot of punch but only if you’re prepared. So prepare we will in this session!

AGENDA

The State Bar of Texas MCLE Department has approved this Zoom webinar for 1.0 hours of CLE credit (Course No. 174156744). There is no cost for participants or for those attorneys wishing to apply for the CLE credit. If you have any questions, contact Dora Madrigal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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This seminar is for attorneys eligible or seeking to become eligible to take CJA appointments.