Travis County considers more shifts to Counsel at First Appearance program
Austin (KXAN) — Travis County Commissioners will consider adding a second shift to its program that provides legal representation for people appearing in court for the first time.
This past fall, Travis County kicked off rounds of test magistration for its Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA) program.
Improvements on the horizon for Travis County's counsel at first appearance problem
The program pairs indigent defendants with an attorney at pre-trial hearings, which can be crucial to how the rest of a court case can go. In previous reporting, a facilitator of that representation expressed how important those hearings can be.
'It's one of the most predictive steps in a case. If a person makes bond, they can return, they can care for their family, they can keep their job, they can keep their housing,' said Bradley Hargis with the Capital Area Private Defender Service, a nonprofit that works with the county to represent those defendants.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown said commissioners will consider adding another shift in order to cover an entire day, should defendants need help.
He said the first round of CAFA shifts will start on February 1, from 6 a.m. to early afternoon. If approved, the second shift would cover the rest of the day, from 2-11 p.m.
Brown said overall, the test magistration sessions have gone well and are one step closer to improving outcomes of our local court operations.
'It's an important right for everybody. You know, if I get arrested, or if you get arrested, having a lawyer who is familiar with that process to advise you on what your rights are is important in this country,' Brown said.
The push to start the CAFA program quickly was spurred partly from a lawsuit by the ACLU that accused the county of violating people's legal rights to representation.
Brown said the case is still pending in federal court, but that the judge has issued a stay. This is because the county and ACLU are working on a solution with one another.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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