Strickland
Shamika Strickland v. Louis DeJoy
Opinion
trial_court Opinion
1 2 3 4 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 SHAMIKA STRICKLAND, Case No. 25-cv-05212-MMC
8 Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF'S 9 v. MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF
COUNSEL
10 LOUIS DEJOY,
Defendant. 11
12 13 Before the Court is the Motion for Appointment of Counsel, filed October 14, 2025, 14 by plaintiff Shamika Strickland, who proceeds pro se on claims under the Americans with 15 Disabilities Act ("ADA") and the Rehabilitation Act. 16 Although the United States Constitution does not require appointment of counsel 17 in civil cases, see Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 354 (1996), a district court has 18 discretionary authority to appoint counsel for an indigent party, see 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 19 Motions to appoint counsel in civil cases are, however, "granted only in exceptional 20 circumstances." See Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1236 (9th Cir.1984). 21 In determining whether such circumstances exist, courts consider a number of 22 factors, including the likelihood of success on the merits and…