Texas Indigent Defense Commission

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Texas Indigent Defense Commission

Welcome to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission's page. TIDC posts Facebook content for informational purposes.

TIDC is a permanent standing committee of the Texas Judicial Council, governed by a board consisting of eight ex officio members and five members appointed by the Governor. A postt does not constitute TIDC’s endorsement of a group or its views. Nothing on this page is to be construed as legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship between TIDC and the reader.

05/21/2026

This week, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee held a hearing on how Texas law schools can help address the rural attorney shortage crisis. The committee discussed an interim charge focused on strengthening the pipeline of criminal prosecutors and defense attorneys serving rural and underserved communities.

Representatives from Texas law schools, public defender offices, prosecution, and Texas Indigent Defense Commission Executive Director Scott Ehlers provided testimony during the hearing.

Watch the recorded hearing here: https://house.texas.gov/videos/22699

Scott Ehlers’s testimony begins at 1:31:07.

KXAN covered the hearing here: https://tinyurl.com/4yw5etux

04/22/2026

Are you an attorney representing children or parents, a judge, or another child welfare stakeholder handling CPS court cases? We want to hear from you!

Share your knowledge about case compensation for attorneys who are appointed by the court to represent parents or children in CPS court cases. Your feedback will help inform a study on 'The Economics of Family Protection Representation.'

Take the survey: https://tinyurl.com/y9d8ezdu

Questions? Contact Jena Prescott, Project Manager, at [email protected].

03/25/2026

📢 We're hiring a Data Analyst III!

Want to use your data skills to make a real impact? Join TIDC and help strengthen how data is collected, analyzed, and used to improve public defense across Texas.

In this role, you will:
✅ Analyze and review data to ensure integrity and help create reports for different audiences.
✅ Collaborate across teams to identify and correct collection and reporting errors.
✅ Create summary graphics and data visualizations.
✅ Assist with research projects, perform data analysis and data research work.
✅ Identify and interpret data patterns and trends and assess data quality.

Applications are open until April 7, 2026. Applicants must live in Texas.

Apply through CAPPS Careers: https://tinyurl.com/mr3zdp8m

03/18/2026

Today we celebrate Gideon Day, also known as Public Defense Day, marking the 63rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. This landmark case established the constitutional right to appointed counsel for people who cannot afford an attorney in state court.

More than sixty years later, the promise of Gideon continues to shape our justice system. The Texas Indigent Defense Commission helps carry that promise forward by strengthening public defense systems across Texas and supporting counties in providing access to counsel.

We recognize and thank the public defenders, judges, court staff, and other stakeholders who work every day to uphold this fundamental right.

02/12/2026

TIDC is now on Instagram! 🎉

Follow us at for highlights from our work, commission updates, and public defense–related events and opportunities from across the state.

Follow us here: https://www.instagram.com/tidc_news/

12/05/2025

TIDC’s 2025–2027 Texas Fair Defense Laws publication is now available!

Updated after each legislative session, the Fair Defense Laws reflect all new legislation and statutory changes that shape indigent defense in Texas. TIDC publishes a new edition following every session to keep stakeholders informed and up-to-date.

📄Download the digital publication here: https://tinyurl.com/yuwuf6yz

📫Prefer a physical copy? Email [email protected] with your name, mailing address, and the number of copies needed.

11/06/2025

🚨 We’re hiring a Policy Analyst / Senior Policy Analyst!

Do you want to improve legal representation for children and indigent parents in child protection cases? Join TIDC to help make a real difference.

This position focuses on increasing Title IV-E fund reimbursements in Texas and leveraging those funds to improve family protection representation statewide.

In this role, you will:
✅ Draft Title IV-E educational materials & provide Title IV-E educational trainings.
✅ Collaborate with the Department of Family and Protective Services on the Title IV-E legal claiming process.
✅ Provide technical assistance to counties to increase Title IV-E reimbursements.
✅ Collaborate with TIDC’s research director on future automation of the Title IV-E claiming process.
✅ Collect data to further understand and evaluate Title IV-E use and areas for process improvement.

Applications are open through November 19, 2025.

Apply through CAPPS Careers: https://tinyurl.com/yjtbh366

11/04/2025

📢 Survey deadline extended!

The TIDC Survey on Attorney Motivations and Longevity in Indigent Defense has been extended to November 15, 2025! If you haven’t completed the survey yet, there’s still time to participate.

TIDC is conducting a survey to better understand the experiences and motivations of attorneys who accept indigent defense and family protection representation (FPR) appointments.

If you have worked in a public defender's office or taken court-appointed cases in adult criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, or FPR, we invite you to share your insights. Your feedback will help inform policy discussions and strengthen support for attorneys working in public defense across Texas.

Access the survey here: https://bit.ly/4pEy9Wl

10/28/2025

🎉 That’s a wrap on the 2025 Indigent Defense Workshop!

Over two days in Austin, we brought together attorneys and staff from public defender and managed assigned counsel offices, indigent defense coordinators, judges, and county leaders from across Texas to exchange ideas and strengthen local indigent defense systems.

Through panels, networking, and breakout discussions, attendees heard from experts on topics such as developing rural public defender offices, addressing the attorney shortage crisis, innovations in family protection representation, and representing defendants with mental illness.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this year’s event a success. We look forward to seeing you at the next workshop in 2027!

10/27/2025

📢 TIDC Survey on Attorney Motivations and Longevity closes this Friday, October 31! If you haven’t completed the survey yet, there’s still time to participate.

TIDC is conducting a survey to better understand the experiences and motivations of attorneys who accept indigent defense and family protection representation (FPR) appointments.

If you have worked in a public defender's office or taken court-appointed cases in adult criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, or FPR, we invite you to share your insights. Your feedback will help inform policy discussions and strengthen support for attorneys working in public defense across Texas.

Access the survey here: https://bit.ly/4pEy9Wl

Address

Austin, TX

Telephone

+15129366994

Website

http://www.tidc.texas.gov/

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