Kristen Demarjian, as Next Friend of Gustav Ryburn v. Lloyd Arnold, Commissioner, Indiana Department of Correction, et al.

Petitioner brought a civil-rights action as Ryburn’s next friend, alleging that state interference prevented him from seeking relief personally or through counsel when the action began. The district court dismissed the action and barred further filings on his behalf be­ cause petitioner was not a lawyer. Accepting the complaint’s allegations as true for review, the court of appeals held the omitted next-friend inquiry harmless under the rule against nonlawyer representation. When an adult prisoner allegedly cannot initiate a civil-rights action personally or through counsel be­ cause of state-imposed barriers, may a nonlawyer who claims next-friend status submit an initial complaint seeking court-supervised restoration of access, or does 28 U. S. C. § 1654 require dismissal without inquiry into the asserted need for that limited procedure?