FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER
Southern District of Texas
Criminal Justice Act Panel Training

United States Federal Courthouse
Jury Assembly Room
1133 N. Shoreline Boulevard
Corpus Christi, TX
April 10, 2026

 

AGENDA

7:30 - 8:00 Registration (CLE hrs.)
8:00 - 8:15 Welcome Remarks
Philip G. Gallagher, Federal Public Defender, S.D. TX
Christopher Jenkins, Supervisory AFPD, Corpus Christi, TX
 
8:15 - 9:00 Picking a Jury
Francisco Morales, Senior Litigation Counsel, Corpus Christi, TX
(.75)
9:00 - 9:30 Nuts and Bolts of Getting out on Bond
Jacqueline Garza, United States Probation Officer, Corpus Christi, TX
Daisy Montemayor, United States Probation Officer, McAllen, TX
(.50)
9:30 - 10:30 Breaking Down Guns – USSG § 2K2.1 Basics and Pitfalls
Philip G. Gallagher, Federal Public Defender, Houston, TX
(.75)
10:30 - 10:45 Break  
10:45 - 11:45 Undocumented Migration and Citizenship from the 1960s to Today
Dr. Cristian Roberto Walk, Assistant Professor of History, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Rachel Braver, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Corpus Christi, TX
(1.0)
11:45 - 12:15 CJA Representations
Gerardo Montalvo, CJA Supervising Attorney, Houston, TX
David Adler, CJA Panel Representative, Houston, TX
(.50)
12:15 - 1:15 A View from the Bench (and Lunch)
Hon. Nelva Gonzales Ramos, United States District Judge, Southern District of Texas
(.50)
1:15 - 2:00 Federal Sentencing Update
Rachel Braver, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Corpus Christi, TX
(.75)
2:00 - 2:45 Supreme Court and Bruen Update
Philip G. Gallagher, Federal Public Defender, Houston, TX
(.75)
2:45 - 3:00 Break  
3:00 - 4:00 Pretrial Motions
Christopher Jenkins, Supervisory AFPD, Corpus Christi, TX
(1.0)
4:00 - 5:00 Your Conscience vs. Your Duty
When your professional obligation conflicts with your sense of right and wrong
John Gill, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Corpus Christi, TX
Francisco Morales, Senior Litigation Counsel, Corpus Christi, TX
(1.0 Ethics)

Pending approval for 7.50 hours of CLE credit (including 1.0 hrs. of legal ethics) by the State Bar of Texas MCLE Department. (Course No. 174313216)

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

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