Blizzard

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 RAGHVENDRA SINGH, No. 2:23-cv-0024-DC-SCR Plaintiff, v. ORDER THADD A. BLIZZARD, et al., Defendants. 16 Plaintiff is a former county inmate proceeding without a lawyer in this civil rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff requests that the court appoint counsel. ECF No. 15. District courts lack authority under 28 U.S.C. §1915 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 appoint an attorney to voluntarily represent such a plaintiff. See 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). When determining whether “exceptional circumstances” exist, the court must consider plaintiff’s likelihood of success on the merits as well as the ability of the plaintiff to articulate his…