Welcome to the Federal Public Defender For the Western District of Michigan

The Federal Public Defender represents clients in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Our clients are represented by a team of experienced trial attorneys supported by skilled investigators, paralegals and support staff.  We are committed to using innovative strategies and technology in the courtroom to provide our clients superior representation against criminal charges in the Federal Courts.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Federal Public Defender is to ensure each person charged with a federal crime in the Western District of Michigan equal access to justice regardless of economic condition, race, religion, or national origin. We believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to providing each client with a thorough, ethical, and vigorous defense and protecting the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Located prominently in our Defender Office is a quote from the 1963 landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright that reads:...reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth.

Gideon v. Wainwright