Welcome to Office of the Public Defender - Northern District of West Virginia


The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of West Virginia was established in 2002, and is dedicated to the defense of indigent clients charged with federal offenses. The Federal Public Defender is authorized and funded pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act, ("CJA"), 18 USC § 3006A, et seq. Our caseload ranges from petty offenses to the defense of complex felony prosecutions. Please see our mission statement.
The Northern District of West Virginia includes 32 of the state's 55 counties. It stretches from the northern panhandle, across the north-central part of the state, and to the eastern panhandle. Court locations are found in Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins and Martinsburg. A NEW county assignment map is available on the district court's web site.
For background information, please read "A Federal Criminal Case Timeline" and our "Client Handbook."