Representation of Death Penalty Inmates

The California Supreme Court is seeking qualified lawyers to represent indigent persons who have been sentenced to death in their direct appeal to the Supreme Court. For information regarding applying for an appointment, appointed counsel’s duties, and payment of counsel’s fees and expenses, please use the following links:

Applying for an Appointment:

Qualification Criteria for Appointment
Online Application for Appointment to a Capital Case
Print Application for Appointment to a Capital Case

Please note that our site currently does not support the Chrome or Firefox built-in PDF Reader to view the Appointment to a Capital Case printed application. You may select another browser to view the application, or disable the Chrome or Firefox PDF Reader and select an alternate PDF Reader.  You may also download the application to your local drive (right click, Save as...) then open the file with the Acrobat Reader.

Appointed Counsel’s Duties:

Supreme Court Policies in Cases Arising from Judgments of Death
Appendix to Policies Concerning Appointed Counsel’s Duties

Payment of Appointed Counsel’s Fees and Expenses:

SCACS Attorney Portal Racial Justice Act - Quick Reference Guide
Policy 3, Standard 2 of Policies in Cases Arising from Judgments of Death — Compensation Standards
Payment Guidelines for Appointed Counsel and Guidelines for Fixed Fee Appointments to Automatic Appeals and Related Habeas Corpus Proceedings
Memorandum Regarding Avoiding Delay in Processing Fee and Expense Applications
Cumulative Hours/Services and Expenses Compensation Form
Description of Categories Used in the Cumulative Hours/Services and Expenses Compensation Form

For additional information regarding these topics or other questions related to representation of death penalty inmates, please call 415-865-7173 to speak to the court's Capital Appointments Coordinator or send an email to capital.appointments@jud.ca.gov.