pretrial strategy for Jeffs, the ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist LDS Church. The 55-year-old faces charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which carries a maximum penalty of 99 years to life; sexual assault of a child, which carries a maximum 20 years in prison; and bigamy, also punishable by up to a life sentence.

The charges stem from an April 2008 raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch in the village of Eldorado, where authorities alleging that underage girls were being forced into polygamous marriages temporary removed more than 400 children living there.

The Yearning for Zion ranch raid left a dozen men in the church facing charges that included sexual assault and bigamy. Seven have been prosecuted since last year, and all were convicted. U.S. District JudgeBarbara Walther has presided over each of the trials.

Prosecutors accused Jeffs of stalling after he was extradited to Texas from Utah in December and made a string of court appearances without an attorney. He finally hired well-known Austin lawyer Gerry Morris on Jan. 5, only to fire him hours later.

Kearney took the case later that month, and asked for more time to sort through thousands of pages of documents in evidence. Walther, the judge, delayed the start of Jeffs' trials on both sexual assault of a child charges until July 25 — but then refused defense requests for still more delays. He is set to be tried separately for bigamy in October.

In his motion to withdraw, Kearney said he received a call Wednesday from a representative of Jeffs,