Oklahoma City, OK -- On February 2, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit appointed Jeffrey Byers as the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Mr. Byers earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma where he also served on the American Indian Law Review. After graduating law school, he became an assistant public defender for Oklahoma County then joined the firm of Byers & Associates where he served as managing partner. In 2010 he joined the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma where he was appointed the Interim Federal Public Defender in June 2022.

The Honorable Timothy DeGiusti, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, administered the oath to Mr. Byers on February 2nd, after which Mr. Byers officially assumed the duties of the office of the Federal Public Defender.The Criminal Justice Act of the United States requires every federal District Court to develop a plan for furnishing legal representation to indigent defendants. By federal statute, Federal Public Defenders are appointed by the judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the federal judicial circuit in which the particular district is located. The Tenth Circuit, with administrative headquarters in Denver, Colorado, encompasses the states of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.