In Re Jackson Leeds, Petitioner, 951 F.2d 1323 (D.C. Cir. 1991)

Upon consideration of the petition for writ of mandamus, it is

ORDERED that the petition be denied. Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy to be utilized in the clearest and most compelling cases. Kerr v. United States District Court for Northern Dist., 426 U.S. 394, 402 (1976). It is justified only by "exceptional circumstances amounting to a judicial 'usurpation of power.' " Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. v. Mayacamas Corp., 485 U.S. 271, 289 (1988) (citations omitted); see In re United States, 872 F.2d 472, 477-78 (D.C. Cir. 1989). The district court's seventeen month delay has not yet reached the level of "exigent circumstances" justifying issuance of the writ. See Cartier v. Secretary of State, 506 F.2d 191, 199 (D.C. Cir. 1974), cert. denied, 421 U.S. 947 (1975).