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Missouri Prisoner Appointed Lawyer in Federal Civil Rights Action

Don Shields, a Missouri state prisoner, filed a civil rights action in federal district court after a St. Louis cop refused to return money and other property seized during Shields' arrest. The district court dismissed for failure to comply with a scheduling order, the appellate court reversed, the district court dismissed again, and Shields appealed again.

On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit found that Shields' complaint stated a claim, but he was unable to litigate it pro se from prison. Therefore, the Court remanded the case to the district court with instructions to appoint counsel for Shields. See: Shields v. Jackson, 570 F.2d 284 (8th Cir. 1973).

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Related legal case

Shields v. Jackson