Camp v. Rodriguez
- Robert Illman
- 1:24-cv-04771
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 1
In Camp v. Rodriguez, Judge Illman granted defendant’s filing extension and denied Camp’s request for appointed counsel without prejudice.
The defendant received additional time to file a dispositive motion. Camp’s request for appointed counsel was denied without prejudice, meaning the opinion did not bar a later request.
What happened
In Camp v. Rodriguez, the court granted the defendant’s request for more time to file a dispositive motion, setting a June 2, 2025 deadline.
Camp, who was proceeding without a lawyer, asked the court to appoint counsel. The court explained that civil litigants generally have no constitutional right to appointed counsel and that such requests are allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
Judge Robert M. Illman found that Camp had adequately presented his claims and that the legal issues were not complex. The court denied the request for appointed counsel without prejudice.
The detailed version
- Camp v. Rodriguez · No. 1:24-cv-04771
- Robert Illman
- Apr. 16, 2025
Background
The defendant requested an extension to file a dispositive motion. The opinion states that the defendant’s motion was due to be filed by June 2, 2025. Camp also moved for appointment of counsel and was proceeding without a lawyer and without paying the filing fee.
Appointment of Counsel
The court explained that there is no constitutional right to counsel in a civil case. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1), a court may ask a lawyer to represent a person who cannot afford counsel, but it cannot force a lawyer to accept the appointment. The Ninth Circuit permits such a request only in “exceptional circumstances,” considering the person’s likelihood of success and ability to explain the claims given the complexity of the legal issues.
The court found that Camp had presented his claims adequately and that the issues were not complex. It therefore denied the motion to appoint counsel without prejudice.
Ruling
For good cause shown, the court granted the defendant’s request for an extension to file a dispositive motion and set June 2, 2025, as the filing deadline. The court denied Camp’s motion to appoint counsel without prejudice.
Judge
The order was signed by Robert M. Illman, United States Magistrate Judge.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.