Robertson v. NASA
- Laura Swain
- 1:23-cv-08723
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Robertson v. NASA, Judge Swain ordered Robertson to pay $402 or submit an application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days.
Twalla Jean Robertson, who must either pay the $402 in fees or submit an IFP application within 30 days for the action to proceed. The case will be dismissed if she does not comply, and no summons will issue at this time.
What happened
In Robertson v. NASA, Twalla Jean Robertson filed the action without paying the required fees or submitting an application to proceed without prepaying them. The order does not describe the claims’ substance.
The court ordered Robertson, who is representing herself, to pay $402 or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days. No summons will issue at this time, and the action will be dismissed if she does not comply.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Robertson v. NASA · No. 1:23-cv-08723
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 10, 2023
Background
Twalla Jean Robertson filed this action against NASA and other defendants without paying the required fees or submitting an application to proceed without prepaying fees. The opinion identifies Robertson as representing herself but does not describe the underlying claims.
Fee requirement
The court explained that starting a civil action requires either payment of $402—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $52 administrative fee—or a signed application requesting permission to proceed without prepaying fees. This permission is commonly called proceeding "in forma pauperis," or IFP.
Order
Within 30 days of the order, Robertson must either pay the $402 or submit the attached IFP application, labeled with docket number 23-CV-8723 (LTS). If the court grants the application, she may proceed without paying the fees in advance. No summons will issue at this time. If Robertson complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures; if she does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
The court also certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order as Chief United States District Judge.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.