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Ninth Circuit CJA Unit

CJA Supervising Attorney

Kevin Morley
kmorley@ce9.uscourts.gov
Based in San Francisco, CA

  • Oversees daily operations of the Circuit CJA Unit.
  • Assists with development of circuit-wide CJA policies and procedures and reviews revised CJA Plans for recommendation to the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit, in coordination with the Case Budgeting Attorneys and the AO's Defender Services Office.
  • Provides guidance on CJA issues to judges, CJA attorneys, panel attorney district representatives, federal defender organizations, and CJA administrative staff, in coordination with the Case Budgeting Attorneys and Defender Services Office.
  • Reviews CJA payment, funding, and budget requests in excess of statutory maximums for compliance with national and circuit CJA guidelines and policies.
  • Analyzes statistical data and prepares reports.
  • Serves as a resource on voucher administration to courts and federal defender organizations with delegated CJA panel management responsibilities within the Ninth Circuit.
  • Helps develop best practices and training on vouchering, cost containment, service provider utilization, and effective resource management for courts and panel attorneys.
  • Helps maintain central repository of CJA-related materials accessible to supervisory CJA administrative staff throughout the circuit.
  • Staffs the Ninth Circuit Standing Committee on Federal Public Defenders.

Case Budgeting Attorneys

Jen Naegele (AK, CA-E, CA-N, GU, HI, NMI, OR, WA-W)
jnaegele@ce9.uscourts.gov
Based in San Francisco, CA

Suzanne Morris (AZ, CA-C, CA-S, ID, MT, NV, WA-E)
smorris@ce9.uscourts.gov
Based in San Francisco, CA

  • Assists with development of circuit-wide CJA policies and procedures and revision of district-specific CJA plans, standing orders, local rules, and policies, in coordination with the CJA Administrative Attorney and the AO's Defender Services Office, and makes recommendations regarding such policies and plans to the district courts and Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit, as appropriate.
  • Provides guidance on CJA issues to judges, CJA attorneys, panel attorney district representatives, federal defender organizations, and CJA administrative staff, in coordination with the CJA Administrative Attorney and Defender Services Office.
  • Works with CJA attorneys, judges, and CJA administrators to fund, through the case budgeting process, high-quality, cost-effective representations in complex or high-cost criminal cases, federal death penalty cases, and capital habeas corpus proceedings.
  • Works with CJA attorneys to identify and utilize litigation resources (including experts and other service providers) in a cost-effective manner, including coordinating shared resources and discovery management in multi-defendant cases and assisting with negotiating appropriate service provider rates to ensure the ongoing availability of high-quality, experienced experts and providers.
  • Conducts first-level reasonableness review of vouchers, as requested.
  • Collaborates with the CJA Administrative Attorney regarding excess compensation approvals and case budgeting matters that implicate novel or complex CJA policy issues or funding requests.
  • Develops best practices and training on case budgeting, vouchering, cost containment, panel management, service provider utilization, and effective resource management for courts and panel attorneys.

CJA Analyst

Brad Dobrinski
bdobrinski@ce9.uscourts.gov
Based in Portland, OR

  • Reviews CJA payment, funding, and budget requests in excess of statutory maximums for compliance with national and circuit CJA guidelines and policies.
  • Creates and maintains databases, prepares statistical reports, and analyzes data.
  • Administers Court of Appeals eVoucher program.
  • Serves as a resource on voucher administration to courts and federal defender organizations with delegated CJA panel management responsibilities within the Ninth Circuit.
  • Provides eVoucher training and operational assistance to the Court of Appeals and district courts.
  • Develops voucher processing tips, procedures, and forms.
  • Maintains Ninth Circuit CJA Resources public webpage and CJA Unit internal Teams site.
  • Maintains central repository of CJA-related materials accessible to CJA administrative staff throughout the circuit.

CJA Specialist

Karina Rodriguez
karina_rodriguez@ce9.uscourts.gov
Based in Sacramento, CA

  • Reviews CJA payment, funding, and budget requests in excess of statutory maximums for compliance with national and circuit CJA guidelines and policies.
  • Maintains databases and prepares statistical reports.
  • Assists with administration of Court of Appeals eVoucher program.
  • Provides eVoucher training and operational assistance to the Court of Appeals and district courts.
  • Develops voucher processing tips, procedures, and forms.
  • Maintains Ninth Circuit CJA Resources public webpage and CJA Unit internal Teams site.
  • Maintains central repository of CJA-related materials accessible to CJA administrative staff throughout the circuit.
  • Provides administrative support to the Ninth Circuit Standing Committee on Federal Public Defenders.

Need Help?

Email

cja@ce9.uscourts.gov

Last updated April 24, 2026