Charles Ben Howell v. State Bar of Texas

CLARK, Chief Judge:

Charles Ben Howell appeals the district court’s dismissal of his civil rights action challenging the result of a state court disciplinary proceeding against him. We reverse the district court’s dismissal and remand with instructions that the district court dispose of Howell’s federal claims on their merits.

I

On February 19,1976, Howell filed a civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983-85 against the State Bar of Texas and three of its officers, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent his disbarment in a then-pending Texas court proceeding. On March 1,…