Case Title: Harding v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 143, 2004

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2004-04-30T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
CARLTON L. HARDING, 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
v. 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellee. 
§  No. 143, 2004 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below:  Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Sussex County 
§  Cr. ID No. 0203010637 
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted:  April 26, 2004 
Decided:   April 30, 2004 
 
Before HOLLAND, BERGER, and STEELE, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 30th day of April 2004, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Carlton L. Harding, filed a notice of appeal on April 
8, 2004 from a Superior Court order entered January 27, 2004.  The Superior 
Court’s January 27th order denied Harding’s motion for postconviction relief.  
On April 14, 2004, the Clerk of this Court issued a notice to Harding to show 
cause why his appeal should not be dismissed for his failure to file his notice 
within the thirty-day appeal period.1  Harding filed a response to the notice to 
show cause.  In his response, Harding argues that, due to his ignorance of the 
                                                          
 
1 See Del. Supr. Ct. R. 6(a)(i); 10 DEL. C. ANN. § 148 (1999). 
 
 
 
 
2 
law and the important issues raised in his appeal, the Court should allow him an 
opportunity to file his notice of appeal out of time. 
(2) 
Time, however, is a jurisdictional requirement.2  This Court lacks 
jurisdiction to consider an appeal when the notice of appeal is not filed in a 
timely manner unless the appellant can demonstrate that the failure to file a 
timely notice of appeal is attributable to court-related personnel.  Harding’s 
untimely filing in this case is not attributable to court-related personnel. 3  
Accordingly, this Court has no jurisdiction to hear this untimely appeal.     
 NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Supreme Court 
Rules 6 and 29(b), that the within appeal is DISMISSED. 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
/s/ Carolyn  Berger 
Justice 
                                                          
 
2 Carr v. State, 554 A.2d 778, 779 (Del. 1989). 
3 Bey v. State, 402 A.2d 362, 363 (Del. 1979).