Williams v. R.W. Sandham

Full title: CURTIS J. WILLIAMS, Plaintiff, v. R.W. SANDHAM, et al., Defendants.

Court: United States District Court, Ninth Circuit, California, E.D. California

Date published: Jan 16, 2013

2:05-cv-0164 JAM EFB P (E.D. Cal. Jan. 16, 2013)

Opinion

CURTIS J. WILLIAMS, Plaintiff, v. R.W. SANDHAM, et al., Defendants. No. 2:05-cv-0164 JAM EFB P United States District Court, E.D. California. January 16, 2013

          ORDER

          EDMUND F. BRENNAN, Magistrate Judge.

         Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding without counsel in an action brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He has requested that the court appoint counsel. District courts lack authority to require counsel to represent indigent prisoners in section 1983 cases. Mallard v. United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). In exceptional circumstances, the court may request counsel voluntarily to represent such a plaintiff. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1); Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 1991); Wood v. Housewright, 900 F.2d 1332, 1335-36 (9th Cir. 1990). The court finds that there are no exceptional circumstances in this case.

         Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff's January 14, 2013 motion for appointment of counsel (Dckt. No. 159) is denied.