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Federal Capital Trial Project

The Federal Capital Trial Project (or “Trial Project”) of the Defender Services Office of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts is comprised of the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel project (“FDPRC”) and the Capital Resource Counsel project (“CRC”). The Trial Project is staffed by experienced federal capital litigators who work in close coordination to provide consultation, training, and assistance to counsel and courts to improve the quality of representation and the cost-effectiveness of defense services in federal capital prosecution cases. 

Established in early 1992, a core function of the Trial Project is to support and assist court-appointed defense counsel in federal capital cases. To do this, the Trial Project assigns a FDPRC or CRC attorney to work with the defense team in every potential federal death penalty case as a “resource counsel.” Resource Counsel are not counsel of record, and their role is to provide advice, assistance, and helpful information and resources to the team. The FDPRC resource counsel are part-time contractors who are often appointed to serve as death-qualified (“learned”) counsel outside their role with the Project. The CRC attorneys are full-time salaried federal defender staff who often serve as “learned” counsel as part of their Project responsibilities. This Trial Project lawyer provides on-site and remote consultation which can include assistance in:

  • identifying learned counsel;
  • making referrals for experts, mitigation specialists, investigators, paralegals, defense victim outreach specialists, and other defense team members; 
  • conducting legal research, providing model pleadings, and preparing pleadings; 
  • crafting written and oral arguments addressing the government’s decision whether or not to seek the death penalty; and 
  • ultimately, if necessary, all aspects of capital trial and sentencing.

The Project monitors all federal death penalty cases and serves as a national clearinghouse for information helpful to defense counsel appointed in federal capital cases. The Project also responds to inquiries from the federal courts and from Congress regarding all aspects of the defense function in federal capital prosecutions. The Trial Project also:

  • assists Federal Defenders and courts in recruiting defense counsel “learned in the law applicable to capital cases” for appointment under 18 U.S.C. § 3005;
  • supports efforts to recruit diverse capital team members and to support these new team members within the capital defense community to promote their success and retention;
  • assists the Defender Services Office of the AOUSC, in responding to judicial inquiries concerning the defense function, case management, and case budgeting in federal capital cases;
  • develops capital litigation training programs and materials to assist federal defenders and court- appointed private counsel;
  • maintains a website that provides access to a wide array of materials relevant to the defense of federal capital cases;
  • responds to Congressional inquiries directed to the federal defender system concerning proposed capital punishment legislation and oversight; and
  • serves as a point of contact between the federal defender system and the Department of Justice regarding the administration of federal death penalty statutes.

Our web site, https://fdprc.capdefnet.org/, contains helpful information for those involved in defending federal capital cases. It includes litigation guides on crucial issues (including sample pleadings), statistics, and other helpful information regarding district court practices in federal capital cases, opinion summaries, and other important resources. A significant amount of information on the web site is not accessible to the general public. In order to access the private side, click on “login” and “request access now.” You will then receive a password within a day or so. Once you have access to the private side, we strongly recommend that you download the Outline of Federal Death Penalty Case Law, a comprehensive outline addressing issues of special applicability to death penalty cases in federal court and covering all Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions in federal capital cases and relevant district court decisions.

Contact information for the members of the Trial Project may be found on our website Here.

Name & Address Contact Numbers & Email
Matthew Rubenstein Project Director

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
101 SW Main Street, Suite 1700
Portland, OR 97204
United States

(503) 780-3535
E-mail: matt_rubenstein@fd.org
Richard Jasper Project Director

Director, Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project
224 West 30th Street
Suite 302
New York, NY 10001
United States

(212) 689-3858
E-mail: ricjasp@aol.com
Anthony Haughton Deputy Director

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
440 Louisiana Street, Suite 1350
Houston, TX 77002
United States

(832) 287-9548
E-mail: anthony_haughton@fd.org
Teri Duncan Deputy Director

Deputy Director, Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project
Law Office of Theresa M. Duncan, LLC
P.O. Box 2769
Santa Fe, NM 87504
United States

(505) 710-6586
E-mail: teri@duncanearnest.com
Michael K. Bachrach

224 West 30th Street
Suite 302
New York, NY 10001
United States

917-304-5044
E-mail: michael@mbachlaw.com
Marc Bookman

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation
1315 Walnut Street
Suite 905
Philadelphia, PA 19107
United States

(215) 805-9341
E-mail: marcbookman12@gmail.com
Cristina Bordé

33 E Main Street
Suite 400
Madison, WI 53703
United States

(608) 620-3307
E-mail: cristinaborde@gmail.com
Julie Brain

916 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
United States

(267) 639-0417
E-mail: juliebrain1@yahoo.com
David I. Bruck
(540) 460-8178
E-mail: bruckd@wlu.edu
Michael N. Burt

Law Office of Michael Burt
1000 Brannan Street
Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103-4888
United States

(415) 250-4541
E-mail: mb@michaelburtlaw.com
Ashwin Cattamanchi CRC

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
810 Broadway, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
United States

(858) 356-2374
E-mail: Ashwin_Cattamanchi@fd.org
Rachelle Chattin CRC Paralegal

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
810 Broadway, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
United States

(502) 682-8481
E-mail: rachelle_chattin@fd.org
Judy Clarke

Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project
180 Broadway
Suite 1800
San Diego, CA 92101
United States

(619) 560-8217
E-mail: judyclarke@cjtrlaw.com
John A. Diaz

DIAZ & MOSKOWITZ, PLLC.
225 Broadway
Suite 715
New York, NY 10007
United States

212-227-8208
E-mail: johnadiazlaw@gmail.com
Mark Donatelli

P.O. Box 8180
Santa Fe, NM 87504
United States

(505) 690-0292
E-mail: mhd@rothsteinlaw.com
David Freedman, Mental Health Consultant

P.O. Box 205
New York, NY 10276
United States

(917) 848-4589
E-mail: df2379@gmail.com
Lisa Greenman

3925 Morrison Street, NW
Washington, DC 20015
United States

202-744-7036
E-mail: greenmanlisa@gmail.com
Vivian Hernandez CRC Attorney

Capital Resource Counsel Project
810 Broadway
Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
United States

915-217-5433
E-mail: Vivian_Hernandez@fd.org
Anna Louise Jeno CRC Paralegal

Capital Resource Counsel Project
101 SW Main Street, Suite 1700
Portland, OR 97204
United States

(503) 715-7389
E-mail: anna_jeno@fd.org
Don Knight

7852 S. Elati Street
Suite 205
Littleton, CO 80120
United States

(720) 934-7064
E-mail: don@dknightlaw.com
Kristina Leslie CRC

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
6411 Ivy Lane, Suite 710
Greenbelt, MD 20770
United States

(571) 449-7056
E-mail: Kristina_Leslie@fd.org
Robert Lominack, Website Administrator

2814 Heyward Avenue
Columbia, SC 29205
United States

(803) 351-0436
E-mail: robert@robertlominack.com
Steve Potolsky

PO Box 50973
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
United States

(305) 335-5539
E-mail: stevepo@bellsouth.net
Melissa Read Administrator

Capital Resource Counsel Project
c/o Federal Public Defender
810 Broadway, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
United States

(505) 363-2547
E-mail: Melissa_Read@fd.org
Kimberly Stevens Senior Attorney

Capital Resource Counsel Project
1070-1 Tunnel Road
Suite 10 #215
Asheville, NC 28805
United States

(336) 575-4337
E-mail: kim_stevens@fd.org
Jackie Walsh

Walsh & Larranaga
140 Lakeside Ave.
#A-338
Seattle, WA 98122
United States

(206) 325-7900
E-mail: jackie@jamlegal.com