NEWS FROM U.S. DISTRICT COURT
July 11, 2025

Interruption of CJA Payments. In May, we had advised that there would be an interruption of CJA payments due to a software update and a funding shortfall. Although the software update is now complete, the funds for the Defender Services program have been depleted. This means that all vouchers approved after the exhaustion of funds, will not be paid until funding becomes available in fiscal year 2026, which begins October 1st. In the interim, we will continue to process and approve CJA vouchers so that queued payments may be disbursed as soon as funding becomes available.

Making the Record. When appearing in federal court, there is often a court reporter (either in-person or remote) who covers district and magistrate hearings. When court reporters are not available, we rely on digital recordings using a software called For The Record (FTR). If transcripts are ordered from hearings covered by FTR, our court reporters prepare them, but the record is only as good as the recording. Our reporters would like to remind the attorneys, clients and their witnesses to clearly speak into the microphone, especially when a court reporter is not present. If you are walking and talking without a lavalier microphone, chances are, the recording will not pick up the dialogue.