Whenever a federal judge determines that representation shall be provided for any financially eligible criminal defendant, and an attorney will be appointed either from the Office of the Federal Defender, or from the Court’s CJA Panel, in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act Plan adopted by the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
Qualifications
To qualify for the CJA Panel, attorneys must be members in good standing with the Central District of Illinois bar and have demonstrated experience in, and knowledge of, federal criminal law and the Sentencing Guidelines. Appointment of counsel is generally from the division in which the case arose.
Application for Membership on the CJA Panel
Private counsel will apply for membership to the CJA Panel using the Application for Panel Membership. After considering the recommendations of the sub-panels and the CJA Committee, the Chief Judge will appoint or reappoint attorneys to the CJA Panel.
Training Panel
Attorneys who do not have the experience required for membership on the CJA Panel are not eligible to receive appointments independently and will be assigned to the Training Panel in the respective division. Training Panel members will be assigned, by the Court, to assist members of the CJA Panel in a “second chair” capacity for a minimum of 2 criminal cases. At the conclusion of both cases the presiding Judge and the committee will determine the appropriate time to move the attorney to the active panel.
Committee Review
The membership of the panel will be reviewed by the Panel Selection Committee and Divisional sub-Panel Selection Committees annually. The minimum annual requirements for retention on any panel are: (1) subscription to the Federal Public Defender Listserv and (2) attendance at least one CLE program directed at federal criminal defense within 12-months of appointment to the panel. Attorneys on the panel will be required to annually certify satisfaction of these minimum requirements to remain on the panel.
Case Appointments
Case appointments are initially assigned to the Federal Defender for the Division from which the case arises. If a conflict exists with the Federal Defender, the appointment is offered to a CJA panel member.
Recertification
CJA attorneys must complete an “Annual Certification for Continued Membership on the CJA Panel” by January 1st of each calendar year. The form is available on the Federal Public Defender’s website, ilc.fd.org, under the “CJA RESOURCES” tab. Failure to submit an Annual Certification form will result in the member being removed from the CJA Panel.