Medina v. Obama, et al

Filing 5

ORDER signed by Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan on 3/22/2013 DENYING plaintiff's 4 request for appointment of counsel. (Yin, K)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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ANTHONY R. MEDINA,
Plaintiff,

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No. 2:13-cv-0458 EFB P

vs.

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BARACK OBAMA, et al.,

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Defendants.

ORDER
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Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding without counsel. He appears to request that the

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court appoint counsel. To the extent plaintiff intends to proceed with an action filed pursuant to

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42 U.S.C. § 1983, he is informed that district courts lack authority to require counsel to represent

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indigent prisoners in such cases. Mallard v. United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989).

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In exceptional circumstances, the court may request an attorney to voluntarily to represent such a

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plaintiff. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1); Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 1991);

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Wood v. Housewright, 900 F.2d 1332, 1335-36 (9th Cir. 1990). When determining whether

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“exceptional circumstances” exist, the court must consider the likelihood of success on the

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merits as well as the ability of the plaintiff to articulate his claims pro se in light of the

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complexity of the legal issues involved. Palmer v. Valdez, 560 F.3d 965, 970 (9th Cir. 2009).

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Having considered those factors, the court finds there are no exceptional circumstances in this

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case.

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Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff’s request for appointment of

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counsel, Dckt. No. 4, is denied.

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DATED: March 22, 2013.

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