FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER
Southern District of Texas
"CALCULATING GUIDELINES FOR SEX OFFENSES AND OBSCENITY CASES"
CJA Panel Training
Live Teams Presentation
Wednesday, June 24, 2026

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.

The types of sex offenses most commonly prosecuted in federal court are possession, distribution, and production of child pornography, covered by guidelines sections 2G2.1 and 2G2.2, along with coercion or enticement of a minor and transferring obscene material to a minor, covered by sections 2G1.3 and 2G3.1, respectively. This training session will focus on the fundamentals of the applicable guidelines and enhancements for a range of conduct that often applies in these types of cases.  The presentation will provide practice pointers and strategies to help minimize your client’s guideline range and sentencing outcomes.

This seminar is pending approval from the State Bar of Texas MCLE Department for 1.0 hrs. of CLE credit (Course No. 174324456). There is no cost for participants or for those attorneys wishing to apply for the CLE credit. Each participant is responsible for reporting their CLE hours to the State Bar of Texas. If you have any questions, contact Dora Madrigal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

AGENDA

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