Welcome to the Texas Habeas Assistance and Training Project (TxHAT)
 
 
The Texas Habeas Assistance and Training Project (TxHAT) is a collection of Regional Resource Counsel with a mandate from the federal government to recruit and provide training and litigation assistance to attorneys representing condemned Texas prisoners in federal habeas corpus proceedings. TxHAT’s work and duties including the following:

Federal Defenders and CJA Panel Attorneys: TxHAT works with federal defenders and CJA counsel to ensure high quality legal representation in Texas capital federal habeas proceedings.  TxHAT recruits and assists counsel with issues related to appointment pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3599, including budgeting, funding, and expert assistance; and provides technical and strategic consultation.  TxHAT also collaborates with other Texas-based criminal defender offices to ensure the timely appointment of qualified counsel during the transition from state habeas to federal habeas proceedings; and to deliver legal training to the Texas capital defender community.

Federal Courts: TxHAT is a resource for the federal courts.  It works with the judiciary and federal defender offices to identify qualified counsel and law firms that can provide high quality legal representation to death-sentenced prisoners in federal habeas proceedings.  Consistent with the Recommendation of the 2017 Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Criminal Justice Act Program, “In appointing counsel in capital cases, judges should consider and give due weight to recommendations by federal defenders and resource counsel and articulate reasons for not doing so.” TxHAT also provides information about the quality and availability of Texas capital defense efforts to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
 
Law Firms: TxHAT recruits private law firms that can provide high quality legal representation to Texas death-sentenced prisoners in federal habeas proceedings as pro bono or appointed counsel.  TX HAT assists law firms with issues related to appointment, pro hac vice admission, and local counsel; delivers in-person habeas training; and provides technical and strategic consultation to firms throughout the proceeding. 
 
Death-sentenced prisoners: TxHAT monitors and tracks all Texas capital trials, death sentences, collateral proceedings, and execution dates to identify and allocate the necessary resources for representation, recruitment, research, and training.