Williams v. Commissioner of Social Security
Anthony Williams v. Commissioner of Social Security; U.S. Bank Card Holders Service
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-09222
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Anthony Williams v. Commissioner of Social Security, Chief Judge Swain ordered an amended fee-waiver application and paused summons issuance.
Anthony Williams is required to clarify which defendant or defendants he intends to sue and to file the required amended application or withdraw this action within 30 days. The Commissioner of Social Security and U.S. Bank Card Holders Service are affected because the court specified how claims against each must be presented.
What happened
In Anthony Williams v. Commissioner of Social Security, Anthony Williams, representing himself, appeared to seek review of a Social Security decision and asked to proceed without paying the filing fee. But his filing named U.S. Bank Card Holders Service instead of the Commissioner of Social Security.
The court gave Williams 30 days to file an amended fee-waiver application naming the Commissioner if he wants to challenge a Social Security decision. If he wants to sue U.S. Bank, he must move to withdraw this case and may file a new case against U.S. Bank. If he wants to pursue claims against both, he must amend this case to name the Commissioner and may file a separate case against U.S. Bank.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered that no summons issue for now and warned that the case will be dismissed if Williams does not comply on time. The court also denied permission to proceed without paying fees for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Williams v. Commissioner of Social Security · No. 1:25-cv-09222
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 7, 2025
Background
Anthony Williams filed this action without a lawyer. He purportedly sought judicial review of a final decision by the Commissioner of Social Security and submitted an application to proceed without paying the filing fee. The application, however, named “U.S. Bank Card Holders Service” as the defendant rather than the Commissioner.
Court’s instructions
The court directed Williams, within 30 days of the order, to file an amended application to proceed without paying the filing fee if he intends to challenge a Social Security decision. That amended application must name the Commissioner of Social Security and identify this case by docket number.
If Williams instead intends to bring claims against U.S. Bank, the court stated that he may withdraw this action and file a new civil action naming U.S. Bank as the sole defendant. If he intends to bring actions against both defendants, he must amend the application in this case to name the Commissioner and may file a separate action against U.S. Bank.
Ruling and effect
The court ordered that no summons issue at this time. It stated that the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if Williams complies with the order, and that the action will be dismissed if he does not comply within the allowed time. The court also certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without paying the filing fee for purposes of an appeal.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also informed Williams about a private City Bar Justice Center clinic available to assist people representing themselves. The opinion does not decide whether Williams is entitled to Social Security benefits or whether he has a claim against U.S. Bank.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.