Blanco v. The National Science Foundation
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05436
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Blanco v. National Science Foundation, Judge Swain ordered payment or an amended fee-waiver application within 30 days.
Carlita Blanco, whose application to proceed without prepaying court fees was incomplete and who must either pay the fees or submit an amended application within 30 days.
What happened
In Blanco v. The National Science Foundation, Carlita Blanco filed a case without a lawyer and asked to proceed without paying court fees upfront. Her application was incomplete because she left out income and expenses and did not answer most questions.
The court ordered Blanco, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in fees or submit a completed, signed application answering all applicable questions. The court said no summons would issue yet and warned that the action will be dismissed if she does not comply.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain also ruled that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for an appeal. The order did not address the underlying claims.
The detailed version
- Blanco v. The National Science Foundation · No. 1:25-cv-05436
- Laura Swain
- July 9, 2025
Background
Carlita Blanco brought this action without a lawyer. She submitted an application to proceed without prepaying court fees, a status commonly called proceeding in forma pauperis. The application was incomplete: Blanco did not report any income or expenses and did not answer most of the questions.
Court’s Order
The court ordered Blanco, within 30 days of the order, to do one of two things: pay $405 in fees, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee, or submit an amended application answering all applicable questions. The amended application must be signed and labeled with docket number 25-CV-5436 (LTS). If the court grants the amended application, Blanco may proceed without paying the fees in advance.
No summons will issue at this time. The case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if Blanco complies. The court stated that the action will be dismissed if she does not comply within the allowed time.
Appeal and Scope of the Order
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal. The order addressed only payment of fees and the incomplete fee-waiver application; it did not decide the underlying claims against the defendants.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.