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Melba L. Ford v. United States
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 18-17217 · judgment August 28, 2019
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
THREE QUESTIONS of FIRST IMPRESSION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW Question 1. Does a defendant in an IRS/DoJ civil forfeiture proceeding have a constitutionally protected, due process right to counsel? Question 2. Even if there is no constitutional right to counsel for defendants in a civil forfeiture case, when assistance of counsel is sought by unrepresented litigants who cannot afford it, is a court required to provide factual and legal reasons when denying such motion? Question 3. When a circuit panel denies motions for assistance of counsel without providing a scintilla of justification, then blocks reconsideration and appeal to the en bans circuit, does the panel violate litigants' rights to due process of law?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Melba L. Ford
For respondent
Noel John Francisco
Jones Day
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Proceedings
- Dec 16 2019Petition DENIED.
- Nov 26 2019DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/13/2019.
- Nov 21 2019Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Oct 26 2019Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 19, 2019)