The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee was created in 1978 by the United States District Court under the authority of the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 (CJA), 18 U.S.C. § 3006A to provide legal representation to those persons accused of a crime against the United States who are financially unable to afford private counsel. Every person accused of a crime is entitled to the effective representation of counsel by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution.