Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_20-cv-00205/USCOURTS-caed-2_20-cv-00205-2/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 

ROGELIO MAY RUIZ, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

D. WOODFILL, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:20-cv-0205 KJM AC P 

ORDER 

Plaintiff has requested the appointment of counsel. ECF No. 9. 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 2:20-cv-00205-KJM-AC Document 10 Filed 03/31/20 Page 1 of 2
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exceptional circumstances that would warrant a request for voluntary assistance of counsel. 

In this case, plaintiff has been denied leave to proceed in forma pauperis, ECF No. 8, and 

has yet to pay the filing fee. Since this case will not proceed until plaintiff has paid the filing fee, 

appointment of counsel is not warranted. 

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

counsel is denied. 

DATED: March 31, 2020 

Case 2:20-cv-00205-KJM-AC Document 10 Filed 03/31/20 Page 2 of 2