Opinion ID: 734158
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Assessment Of Fees On Appeal By District Court

Text: 35 The statute permits any United States court to make the financial assessment for the commencement of an appeal. See 28 U.S.C.A. § 1915(a)(1). As the district court is best suited to control the assessment process, the district court should conduct the financial assessment when the prisoner seeks pauper status on appeal. 36 Because the date the notice of appeal is filed with the district court controls the date of assessment under § 1915(b)(1); expediency requires that the district court issue the order. If the financial assessment order was delayed until the case was transferred and docketed with the court of appeals, several weeks could pass before the court of appeals could order the financial assessment. This lapse of time would allow prisoners to drain their trust accounts to avoid payment of their filing fees. 37 In issuing the assessment order, the district court may use the same order form which is located in Section III if the prisoner does not have sufficient funds to pay the full fees. However, the current docketing and filing fees for the court of appeals total one hundred and five dollars ($105), rather than the one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) required to file a case in the district court. Under this order and our decision in Floyd, motions for pauper status before the court of the appeals no longer exist and will not be entertained by this court. These motions shall now be processed exclusively by the district courts. This order does not, however, impair an individual's ability to request records, transcripts, or counsel before this court under § 1915(c) and § 1915(e)(1). 38 After the district court advises the court of appeals that the initial partial filing fee under § 1915(b)(1) has been assessed, the appeal may continue. If the district court concludes that the prisoner satisfies § 1915(b)(4), the prisoner may proceed with the appeal without immediate payment of the initial partial filing fee. However, the statute does not relieve the prisoner from paying the required fees when funds become available in the future. Thus, the district court still must impose a fee assessment under § 1915(b)(1), and the prisoner, when he or she receives funds, must still pay the initial partial filing fee, even if the trust account contains less than ten dollars ($10). An appeal may not be dismissed when the payment of an assessment has been delayed by prison officials. A prisoner cannot be penalized when prison officials fail to promptly pay an assessment.