John D. McElroy is the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Texas. Mr. McElroy was appointed to his current position by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in January 2021. Mr. McElroy worked as an AFPD for the EDTX, from 2009 to 2021, in the Beaumont Division, where he handled cases in both the Beaumont and Lufkin Divisions. Prior to his service with the Federal Public Defender’s Office, he was a CJA panel attorney.

Mr. McElroy received his undergraduate degree from Lamar University and his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. Mr. McElroy spent most of his fifteen years in private practice with the firm of Barton, Price, McElroy, & Townsend, handling plaintiff personal injury cases, with particular emphasis on Maritime Law and Federal Workers’ Compensation claims under the Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, and Defense Base Act. Additionally, Mr. McElroy was an Assistant District Attorney in the Orange County DA’s Office for several years, serving as the Chief of the Civil Division and an Assistant in the Criminal Division.