Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00758/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00758-1/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jeffrey Beard
Respondent
Tito A. Thomas
Petitioner

Document Text:

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

TITO A. THOMAS, 

Petitioner, 

v. 

JEFFREY BEARD, 

Respondent. 

No. 2:14-cv-0758 AC P 

ORDER 

 Petitioner, a state probationer proceeding pro se, has filed a petition for writ of habeas 

corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, together with a request to proceed in forma pauperis. 

 Examination of the affidavit reveals petitioner is unable to afford the costs of this action. 

Accordingly, leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). 

 Petitioner has failed to specify the grounds for relief in his petition. See Rule 2(c), Rules 

Governing § 2254 Cases. It appears from this court’s review of the purported claims that 

petitioner merely lists the reasons why counsel should be appointed. See ECF No. 1 at 7 

(including that the “case [is] involving uneducated or mentally or physically impaired petitioners; 

[the] case [is] likely to require the assistance of experts....”). 

Petitioner has filed a separate request for the appointment of counsel. ECF No. 4. There 

currently exists no absolute right to appointment of counsel in habeas proceedings. See Nevius v. 

Sumner, 105 F.3d 453, 460 (9th Cir. 1996). However, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A authorizes the 

Case 2:14-cv-00758-TLN-AC Document 7 Filed 04/03/14 Page 1 of 2
1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

2

appointment of counsel at any stage of the case “if the interests of justice so require.” See Rule 

8(c), Fed. R. Governing § 2254 Cases. In the present case, the court does not find that the 

interests of justice would be served by the appointment of counsel at the present time. 

 Therefore, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

 1. Petitioner’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis (ECF No. 5) is granted; 

 2. Petitioner’s motion for appointment of counsel (ECF No. 4) is denied without 

prejudice; 

3. Petitioner’s petition for writ of habeas corpus is dismissed with leave to file an 

amended petition within thirty days from the date of this order; 

 3. Any amended petition must be filed on the form provided with this order, must name 

the proper respondent, and must state all claims and prayers for relief on the form; it must bear 

the case number assigned to this action and the title “Amended Petition”; failure to file an 

amended petition will result in the dismissal of this action; and, 

 4. The Clerk of the Court is directed to send petitioner the court’s form petition for writ of 

habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. 

DATED: April 2, 2014 

 

Case 2:14-cv-00758-TLN-AC Document 7 Filed 04/03/14 Page 2 of 2