Task: songer_initiate

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals. Your task is to identify what party initiated the appeal. For cases with cross appeals or multiple docket numbers, if the opinion does not explicitly indicate which appeal was filed first, assumes that the first litigant listed as the "appellant" or "petitioner" was the first to file the appeal. In federal habeas corpus petitions, consider the prisoner to be the plaintiff.

OPINION OF THE COURT
PER CURIAM.
This appellant is a state prisoner serving a term of 15 to 25 years in prison pursuant to a conviction of murder on his plea of nolo contendere. He now seeks relief by federal habeas corpus.
The district court analyzed each of the prisoner’s contentions and denied habeas corpus in a carefully reasoned, very detailed and sound opinion with which we agree.
The judgment will be affirmed.

Question: What party initiated the appeal?
A. Original plaintiff
B. Original defendant
C. Federal agency representing plaintiff
D. Federal agency representing defendant
E. Intervenor
F. Not applicable
G. Not ascertained
Answer:

Answer: A