Katherine Ensler

Federal Community Defender Office - Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an office within the Defender Association of Philadelphia, is the designated Federal Community Defender Organization for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Since its creation in 1972, the Federal Community Defender Office has been funded to render Defender Services to individuals who are unable to afford counsel and who are under investigation for, or charged with, violations of the laws of the United States, and to federal death-sentenced prisoners in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, when appointed. Upon appointment by the District Court or the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the office provides representation for individuals who have been subpoenaed to appear before investigating Grand Juries, who are named defendants in criminal complaints, or who have been indicted by a Grand Jury. The representation, once undertaken, remains throughout the pendency of the proceedings, up to and including applications for relief to the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, upon appointment, the office represents state and federal prisoners who are seeking relief by way of Habeas Corpus application in both the District Court and the Court of Appeals.