Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01450/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01450-6/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 

CHARLES PLUNKETT, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

C. PARHAM, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:19-cv-1450 AC P 

ORDER 

Plaintiff has requested the appointment of counsel. ECF No. 28. 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 2:19-cv-01450-DC-AC Document 30 Filed 12/02/21 Page 1 of 2
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exceptional circumstances that would warrant a request for voluntary assistance of counsel. 

Plaintiff asserts that she is unable to afford counsel and has been unable to find an 

attorney to represent her. ECF No. 28 at 1. She requests counsel on the grounds that the issues 

are complex, she is not trained in the law, she will likely request expert testimony, and counsel 

would better enable her to present her case at trial. Id. The circumstances identified by plaintiff 

are common to most prisoners and plaintiff has thus far shown herself capable of articulating her 

claims without assistance. Furthermore, any request based on the need for counsel at trial is 

premature since it has not yet been determined that this case will proceed to trial. 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. 28, is DENIED. 

DATED: December 1, 2021 

Case 2:19-cv-01450-DC-AC Document 30 Filed 12/02/21 Page 2 of 2