COLUMBIA, S.C. — The federal program that pays court-appointed private attorneys who represent criminal defendants has run out of money, leaving thousands of attorneys across the country working without pay — and potentially leaving defendants without representation.

The program, which falls under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) , exhausted its funding on July 3. Since then, attorneys who serve on CJA panels, like Renae Alt-Summers in South Carolina, say they haven’t received any compensation for their work.

“We haven't been paid and we won't be paid again until the next fiscal year starts if there is enough money in the budget to pay us then,” Alt-Summers said.

These CJA panel attorneys are private defense lawyers who agree to represent defendants in federal cases. According to Alt-Su

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