Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_21-cv-00510/USCOURTS-caed-2_21-cv-00510-16/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

CARLOS MANWELL DAWSON, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

JEFF LYNCH, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:21-cv-0510 KJM AC P 

ORDER 

Plaintiff has requested the appointment of counsel. ECF No. 50. The United States 

Supreme Court has ruled that district courts lack authority to require counsel to represent indigent 

prisoners in § 1983 cases. Mallard v. United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). In 

certain exceptional circumstances, the district court may request the voluntary assistance of 

counsel pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1). Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 

1991); Wood v. Housewright, 900 F.2d 1332, 1335-36 (9th Cir. 1990). 

“When determining whether ‘exceptional circumstances’ exist, a court must consider ‘the 

likelihood of success on the merits as well as the ability of the [plaintiff] to articulate his claims 

pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issues involved.’” Palmer v. Valdez, 560 F.3d 965, 

970 (9th Cir. 2009) (quoting Weygandt v. Look, 718 F.2d 952, 954 (9th Cir. 1983)). The burden 

of demonstrating exceptional circumstances is on the plaintiff. Id. Circumstances common to 

most prisoners, such as lack of legal education and limited law library access, do not establish 

Case 2:21-cv-00510-DC-AC Document 55 Filed 07/09/24 Page 1 of 2
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exceptional circumstances that would warrant a request for voluntary assistance of counsel. 

Plaintiff requests counsel on the grounds that he is indigent, he has limited access to the 

law library and limited legal knowledge, and a trial will involve conflicting testimony. ECF No. 

50 at 1-2. He also alleges that he suffers from various medical conditions that make pursuing this 

case without representation difficult. Id. at 2-7. The circumstances plaintiff identifies are 

common to most inmates and therefore do not establish extraordinary circumstances. 

Furthermore, plaintiff has thus far demonstrated that he is capable of articulating his claims 

without assistance and any request based on the need for counsel at trial is premature. Finally, the 

mere claim that plaintiff suffers from various health conditions is not enough to establish 

exceptional circumstances warranting appointment of counsel. If plaintiff chooses to file another 

motion for appointment of counsel, he should identify what conditions he suffers from, explain 

how his conditions prevent him from proceeding without assistance, and provide medical 

documentation supporting his claimed impairments. For these reasons, plaintiff has not shown 

the existence of extraordinary circumstances warranting the appointment of counsel. 

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

counsel (ECF No. 50) is DENIED. 

DATED: July 8, 2024 

Case 2:21-cv-00510-DC-AC Document 55 Filed 07/09/24 Page 2 of 2