Case Title: Mells v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 662, 2002

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2003-03-13T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
WILLIE MELLS, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§ 
§  No. 662, 2002 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  Cr. ID 0201012681 
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted: March 4, 2003 
  Decided: March 13, 2003 
 
Before WALSH, HOLLAND, and BERGER, Justices 
 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 13th day of March 2003, upon consideration of the State’s 
motion to dismiss and the response thereto, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Willie Mells, filed this appeal from the Superior 
Court’s order dismissing his appeal to that court.  Mells was convicted by a 
Court of Common Pleas jury of failing to stop at a stop sign and failing to 
have his registration card in his possession.  The Court of Common Pleas 
fined Mells $100 for each conviction.  The State has moved to dismiss this 
appeal on the ground that Mells’ convictions and fines fail to meet the 
constitutional threshold to invoke this Court’s jurisdiction to hear a criminal 
appeal.  
 
2
(2) 
We agree.  Pursuant to Article IV, Section 11(1)(b) of the 
Delaware Constitution, this Court lacks jurisdiction to receive an appeal in a 
criminal matter unless the sentence imposed is a term of imprisonment 
exceeding one month or a fine exceeding $100.1  Neither of Mells’ 
convictions meets this minimum threshold.  A defendant is not permitted to 
aggregate penalties in order to meet the jurisdictional threshold.2  
Consequently, we lack jurisdiction to consider this appeal.   
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the within appeal hereby 
is DISMISSED. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
/s/ Randy J. Holland 
Justice 
 
                                                 
1 DEL. CONST. art. IV, § 11(1)(b). 
2 Marker v. State, 450 A.2d 397, 399 (Del. 1982).  See also Weaver v. State, 779 
A.2d 254, 257 (Del. 2001).