(HC) Godfrey v. Warden PBSP
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 JOSHUA MICHAEL GODFREY, Case No. 1:19-cv-01197-NONE-HBK Petitioner, ORDER DENYING APPOINTMENT OF
COUNSEL
v. Doc. No. 20 WARDEN PBSP,
Respondent.
16 Before the Court is Petitioner’s motion to appoint counsel. (Doc. No. 20). Petitioner filed a pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus seeking relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. (Doc. No. 1). Petitioner now requests that the Court appoint counsel to represent him in this case due to petitioner’s difficulty conducting legal research under his prison’s COVID-19 restrictions. There is no automatic, constitutional right to counsel in federal habeas proceedings. See Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 752 (1991); Anderson v. Heinze, 258 F.2d 479, 481 (9th Cir. 1958). The Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, however, authorizes this Court to appoint counsel for a financially eligible person who seeks relief under § 2254 when the “court determines that the interests of justice so…