## United States Court of App eals

F O R T H E E I G H T H C I R C U I T

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No. 0 9- 30 80

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Ja ni ce Bo wen ; M ary East rid ge ; * Sh erri Lin k, *

* Pet it io ne rs -Ap pe ll an ts , *

* W il li am Sm it h, * App eal fro m th e Uni te d S ta te s
* Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Pet it io ne r, * Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.

*

v. *

* [UNPUBLISHED] Ro be rt G. O'Bl en ni s, *

* Res po nd en t-Ap pe ll ee. *

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Su bm it te d: Decem

be r 13 , 20 10 Fi le d: Marc h 2 5, 2 01 1

__ __ __ __ __ _ Befo re RI LEY, Chi ef J ud ge , BEAM an d B ENTON, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Ja ni ce Bo wen , Mar y East rid ge , an d Sh erri Lin k ap pe al th e d i s t r ic t co ur t's 1 di sm is sa l o f th ei r pe ti ti on for a writ of m an da m us . W e aff

irm.

The Hon or ab le Ro dn ey W

. Si pp el
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e East ern 1 Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.App el la nt s are th ree d is ab il it y -b en efi t cl ai m an ts wit h pr oc eed in gs be fo re th e

So ci al Secu rit y Adm in is tra ti on

. App el le e Ro be rt O'Ble nn is is th e ad m in is tra ti ve la w jud ge (ALJ) as si gn ed to each ap pe ll a n t's cas e. Each ap pe ll an t fil ed a m ot io n
req ue st in g th at O'Ble nn is recu se hi m se lf fro m he r res pe ct iv e ca s e , al le gi ng th at O'Ble nn is is bi as ed ag ai ns t cert ai n cl as se s of so c i a l

- se cu rit y cl ai m an ts an d th at
ap pe ll an ts are m em

be rs of th os e c l a s s e s

. In cl ud ed wit h each ap pe ll an t's m ot io n to

recu se were th e na m es an d pa rti al so ci al se cu rit y nu m be rs of 54 in di vi du al s who

ap pe ll an ts ' at to rn ey ha d pr ev io us ly rep res en te d in pr oc eed in gs be fo re O'Ble nn i s

. App el la nt s arg ue d th at th is in fo rm at io n su pp or te d th ei r cl ai m th at O'Ble nn is is bi as ed

ag ai ns t cert ai n cl ai m an t cl a s s e s a n d req ue st ed th at th is in fo rm at io n be in cl ud ed in th ei r res pe ct iv e el ect r o n i c reco rd s. O'Ble nn is de cl in ed to in cl ud e th e no n- pa rty in fo rm at io n in ap pe ll an ts ' el ect ro ni c r e c or ds
, ci ti ng Adm in is tra ti on po li cy ag ai ns t rel eas in g id en ti fy in g in fo rm at io n ab ou t no n- pa rti es wit ho ut th ei r co ns en t. O'Ble nn is in di cat ed he wou ld in cl ud e th e in fo rm at io n in th e el ect ro ni c reco rd s on ly if ap pe ll an ts
pr od uc ed va li d waiv ers fro m th e no n- pa r t ie s. App el la nt s' co un se l pr of fere d an

un si gn ed co py of a waiv er, whi ch ap pe ll an ts ' co un se l al le ge d he req u i r e d th e no npa rti es to si gn whi le he rep res en te d th em

. Howev er, O'Ble nn is co nc lu de d th is waiv er

was i ns uf

fic ie nt

. W hi le rev ie win g ap pe ll an ts ' recu sa l m ot io ns , O'Ble nn is di d

co ns id er th e pr of

fere d in fo rm at io n an d he no ti fie d ap pe ll an ts in writ in g th at he "k ep t

a co py in cam era sh ou ld a co py be ne ed ed by ot he rs wit h a ne ed to kn ow." O'Ble nn is al so sai d he wou ld reco ns id er h is de ci si on no t t o i nc lu de th e n on -p art y in fo rm at io n in th e el ect ro ni c reco rd if ap pe ll an ts pr od uc ed ad eq ua te waiv ers fro m th e no n- pa rti es

.

App el la nt s fil ed a pe ti ti on f o r a w rit of m an da m

us in di st ric t co ur t, se ek in g

an or de r req ui rin g O'Ble nn is to in cl ud e th e pr of fere d in fo rm at io n in th ei r res pe ct iv e el ect ro ni c reco rd s. On Aug us t 25
, 20 09
, th e di st ric t co ur t d i s mi s s e d th ei r pe ti ti on , ho ld i ng th at O'Ble nn is ha d no m in is te ria l du ty to in cl ud e th at in fo rm at io n in th e el ect ro ni c rec or ds

.

W e rev ie w th e di st ric t co ur t's di sm is sa l of a pe ti ti on fo r a writ of m an da m us de

no vo

. Gris so v. Apf

el
, 21 9 F.3 d 79 1, 79 3 (8 th Ci r

. 2 00 0)

. Pu rs ua nt to 28 U. S. C.

-2

-§1 36 1, a di st ric t co ur t ha s th e au th or it y to is su e a writ of m an d a mu s t o " c o m pe l an of fic er or em

pl oyee of th e Uni te d St at es o r an y ag en cy th ereo f to pe rfo rm a du ty

o w ed to th e pl ai nt iff

." Howev er, th e writ is a "d ras ti c" rem ed y to be us ed o n l y i n "ex tra or di na ry " cas es

. Kerr v. Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t, 426 U

. S. 39 4, 40 2 (1 97 6)

. "In or de r fo r m an da m

us to li e[,] th e du ty owe d to th e pl ai nt iff m us t be m in is te ria l an d

a po si ti ve co m

m an d so pl ai nl y pr es cri be d as to be free fro m do ub t." Keen y v. Sec'y of th e Arm y , 43 7 F .2d 11 51 , 11 52 (8t h C ir. 1 97 1) (in te rn al qu ot at io n o m it te d)

.

Thi s ca se do es no t p res en t th e ki nd of "ex tra or di na ry " sit ua ti on th at warran ts

m an da m us rel ie f. The di st ric t co ur t co rrec tl y fo un d th at O'B l e n n i s ha d no cl earl y

es ta bl is he d m in is te ria l du ty to pl ace th e pr of fere d in fo rm at io n in th e el ect ro ni c

reco rd

. O'Ble nn is di d no t ig no re an y cl ear m an da te , bu t rat he r m ad e a le ga l jud gm en t th at hi s du ty to pr ot ect th e pr iv acy of th e no n- pa rti es pr ev en te d hi m fro m pl aci ng th e
pr of fere d in fo rm at io n in th e reco rd

. App el la nt s po in t to no au th or it y th at fo rb id s an ALJ fro m m ak in g an in de pe nd en t as se ss men t of whe th er th e in cl us io n of ev id en ce
pr of fere d in co nn ect io n wit h a recu sa l m ot io n wou ld vi ol at e reg ul at i o n s r e g ard in g th ird -p art y pr i v a c y r ig ht s. O'Ble nn is at te m pt ed to ba la nc e th e rig ht s of ap pe ll an ts wit h th e rig ht s of th e no n- pa rti es , by rev ie win g th e in fo rm at io n hi m se lf an d ret ai ni ng it in ca mer a

. Reg ard le ss of whe th er he st ru ck pr eci se ly th e rig ht ba la nc e, he di d no t vi ol at e a cl ear m in is te ria l du ty. Any erro r in O'Ble nn is 's jud gm en t ab ou t th e ad m is si bi li ty of th e in fo rm at io n is m or e pr op erl y rev ie wed th ro ug h th e no rm al ch an ne l of ap pe al in g to th e So ci al Secu rit y App eal s Co un ci l an d, if ne ces sa ry , to th e fed eral co ur ts

. See Tay lo r v. Barn ha rt, 39 9 F.3 d 89 1, 89 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 05 ) (m an da m us rel ie f on ly ap pr op ria te if pe ti ti on er ha s n o a d e q u a t e rem ed y ); Diab o v. Sec'y of Heal th , Edu c. & Welfar e, 62 7 F .2d 27 8, 28 2 (D.C. Ci r. 19 80 ) (rev ie win g o n a pp eal

an ALJ's de ci si on no t t o i nc lu de ev id en ce i n t he reco rd ).

W e aff irm.

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