Court-appointed criminal defense lawyers have gone months without pay

Key takeaways

Court-appointed federal defense lawyers have not been paid since July.

Payment delays affect lawyers, paralegals, clerks, and expert witnesses.

Federal budget shortfalls may worsen if a government shutdown occurs.

Delays disrupt criminal cases and could threaten access to justice.

Lawyers appointed to represent poor criminal defendants in federal court have not been paid in months, and the delay may continue — causing dysfunction in the criminal justice system and financial harm to many people, not just lawyers — if the federal government shuts down next week.

Many court-appointed defense lawyers are owed tens of thousands of dollars, and while they are required to keep representing clients in pending cases, some are refusing to take on new ones until payments resume, a