Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) of 1964, as amended (18 U.S.C. § 3006A), the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky has adopted a plan to provide representation to individuals who are financially unable to retain counsel in certain circumstances. The Court is seeking private attorneys who are eligible and willing to be appointed to provide representation under the CJA. Interested attorneys may apply from March 1-31, 2022; CJA Panel members may serve in the Louisville, Bowling Green, Owensboro or Paducah divisions.  

Attorneys who serve on one of the Court’s CJA Panels must be members in good standing of the Kentucky Bar Association for at least four years; admitted to practice before this Court for at least two years preceding the application; and maintain an office in the division of the CJA Panel for which they seek membership. Specific qualifications are contained in in Section VII(C) of the Court’s CJA Plan located on the Court’s website, www.kywd.uscourts.gov.

The Court will be creating a mentorship program for applicants who lack sufficient trial and courtroom experience to participate in the CJA Panel; recruitment for this program will occur at a later date.

Applications to be considered for the CJA Panel can be found on the Court's website at https://www.kywd.uscourts.gov/cja, or you can e-mail CJA_Application@kywd.uscourts.gov. No application should be submitted prior to March 1, and no application received after March 31 shall be accepted without consent of the Chief Judge.

The Court will approve attorneys for membership on a CJA Panel after review of all eligible applications, consideration of relevant case data and consultation with the CJA Panel Committee. For more information, please visit www.kywd.uscourts.gov/cja.

James J. Vilt, Jr.

Clerk of Court