Title: Morrisey v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
NORMAN MORRISEY, 
 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 323, 2016 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  Cr. ID 91006237DI 
§   
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: August 8, 2016 
 
 
 
 
  Decided: October 10, 2016 
 
Before HOLLAND, VALIHURA, and VAUGHN, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 10th day of October 2016, the Court has considered Norman Morrisey’s 
appeal from the Superior Court’s denial of his motion to alter or amend the 
judgment or, alternatively, motion for relief from judgment under Superior Court 
Civil Rules 59(d) and 60(b)(6).  The judgment that Morrisey seeks to alter or 
amend is the Superior Court’s January 12, 2016 judgment denying his motion for 
correction of his criminal sentence. Neither Civil Rule 59 nor Civil Rule 60 may be 
invoked in this case as a means for Morrisey to seek review of his criminal 
sentence.  First, we note that Morrisey filed an appeal from the Superior Court’s 
January 12, 2016 judgment, which this Court dismissed as untimely.  Morrisey 
cannot use the Superior Court’s Civil Rules as a means to avoid the jurisdictional 
 
2 
bar to this Court’s review of his untimely appeal.  Moreover, this Court has held 
many times, that the Superior Court Civil Rules may not be used in a criminal 
proceeding to collaterally attack a conviction1 or to modify a sentence.2   
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Karen L. Valihura 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
                                                 
1 Jackson v. State, 2007 WL 2231072 (Del. Aug. 2, 2007). 
2 Landry v. State, 2015 WL 4464772 (Del. July 20, 2015); Johnson v. State, 2015 WL 1880412 
(Del. Apr. 21, 2015).