Task: songer_appel1_7_2

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals.
Intervenors who participated as parties at the courts of appeals should be counted as either appellants or respondents when it can be determined whose position they supported. For example, if there were two plaintiffs who lost in district court, appealed, and were joined by four intervenors who also asked the court of appeals to reverse the district court, the number of appellants should be coded as six.
When coding the detailed nature of participants, use your personal knowledge about the participants, if you are completely confident of the accuracy of your knowledge, even if the specific information is not in the opinion. For example, if "IBM" is listed as the appellant it could be classified as "clearly national or international in scope" even if the opinion did not indicate the scope of the business. 

Your task concerns the first listed appellant. The nature of this litigant falls into the category "natural person (excludes persons named in their official capacity or who appear because of a role in a private organization)". Your task is to determine the gender of this litigant. Use names to classify the party's sex only if there is little ambiguity (e.g., the sex of "Chris" should be coded as "not ascertained").

PER CURIAM:
Benjamin R. Lawson, appellant herein, is confined in the California State Prison as a result of his conviction in a California court of the crime of first degree robbery. He filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Califonia a document entitled “Petition for a Writ of Quo Warranto.” He named as defendants “California Adult Authority Agents and all Members Herein; Walter Dunbar, Director to the Deportment of Corrections; et al.” The sole prayer of the complaint for relief prayed “that warrants may be issued for the arrest of said defendants and that they be dealt with according to law.”
On motion by defendants that, inter alia, the complaint failed to state a cause of action on which relief may be granted, the district court dismissed the action with prejudice. This appeal followed.
There being no basis on which the relief demanded by appellant can be granted, the judgment is affirmed.

Question: This question concerns the first listed appellant. The nature of this litigant falls into the category "natural person (excludes persons named in their official capacity or who appear because of a role in a private organization)". What is the gender of this litigant?Use names to classify the party's sex only if there is little ambiguity.
A. not ascertained
B. male - indication in opinion (e.g., use of masculine pronoun)
C. male - assumed because of name
D. female - indication in opinion of gender
E. female - assumed because of name
Answer:

Answer: B