IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
GIBSON HALL, §
§
Defendant Below, § No. 363, 2018
Appellant, §
§ Court Below—Superior Court
v. § of the State of Delaware
§
STATE OF DELAWARE, § Cr. ID No. 88004234DI (N)
§
Plaintiff Below, §
Appellee. §
Submitted: July 27, 2018
Decided: August 17, 2018
Before STRINE, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and TRAYNOR, Justices.
ORDER
After consideration of the notice to show cause and the response, the Court
concludes that:
(1) On July 16, 2018, the appellant, Gibson Hall, filed a notice of appeal
from a Superior Court order, dated June 18, 2018, denying his motion for transcripts.
Hall sought the transcripts to provide documentation in support of postconviction
relief. The Senior Court Clerk issued a notice directing Hall to show cause why this
appeal should not be dismissed based upon this Court’s lack of jurisdiction to hear
an interlocutory appeal in a criminal matter. In his response to the notice to show
cause, Hall argues that the order denying his motion for transcripts is final and
immediately appealable.
(2) Hall is mistaken. Under the Delaware Constitution only a final
judgment may be reviewed by the Court in a criminal case.1 The Superior Court’s
June 18, 2018 order denying Hall’s motion for transcripts is an interlocutory order.2
The denial of a motion for transcripts is not appealable as a final order before entry
of a final judgment on a motion for postconviction relief.3 In denying Hall’s motion
for transcripts the Superior Court noted that a motion for postconviction relief would
likely be subject to summary dismissal under Superior Court Criminal Rule 61(d)(2),
but Hall did not file a motion for postconviction relief and the Superior Court did
not deny a motion for postconviction relief in the June 18, 2018 order.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rule 29(b),
that this appeal is DISMISSED.
BY THE COURT:
/s/ Leo E. Strine, Jr.
Chief Justice
1
Del. Const. art. IV, § 11(1)(b).
2
See, e.g., Davis v. State, 2014 WL 4243634, at *1 (Del. Aug. 26, 2014) (holding that order
denying motion for transcripts to pursue further postconviction remedies was interlocutory).
3
Id.
2
Hall v. State
Combined Opinion