Title: Deputy v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 690, 2013
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: June 5, 2014

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
KENNETH T. DEPUTY, 
 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
No. 690, 2013 
 
 
Petitioner Below,  
§ 
 
 
Appellant,  
 
§ 
Court Below–Superior Court of  
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
the State of Delaware in and for 
 
 
v. 
 
 
 
 
§ 
New Castle County 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
§  
C.A. No. N13M-11-118 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
 
 
Respondent Below,  
§ 
 
 
Appellee. 
 
 
§ 
 
Submitted: April 18, 2014 
  Decided: June 5, 2014 
 
Before HOLLAND, BERGER, and JACOBS, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
 
This 5th day of June 2014, upon consideration of the briefs on appeal 
and the Superior Court record, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) The appellant, Kenneth T. Deputy, is an inmate incarcerated at 
the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (“JTVCC”).  On November 21, 
2013, Deputy filed a petition seeking the issuance of a writ of mandamus to 
compel the Warden of JTVCC and the Commissioner of the Delaware 
Department of Correction (“DOC”) to provide him with a new pair of boots. 
(2) Upon receipt of Deputy’s petition, the Superior Court conducted 
a preliminary review and determined that the petition was both factually and 
2 
 
legally frivolous.  By order dated November 22, 2013, the petition was 
dismissed.  This appeal followed. 
(3) A writ of mandamus is an extraordinary remedy issued by the 
Superior Court to compel a board or agency to perform a duty.1  As a 
condition precedent to the issuance of the writ, the petitioner must 
demonstrate that he has a clear right to the performance of the duty; that no 
other adequate remedy is available; and that the board or agency has 
arbitrarily failed or refused to perform the duty.2 
(4) Deputy has not demonstrated that he has a clear right to receive a 
new pair of boots from either JTVCC or DOC.  In the absence of Deputy’s 
clear right to the relief he seeks, we conclude, as did the Superior Court, that 
Deputy is not entitled to mandamus relief. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the 
Superior Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Jack B. Jacobs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       Justice 
                                
1 10 Del. C. § 564; Clough v. State, 686 A.2d 158, 159 (Del. 1996). 
2 Clough, 686 A.2d at 159; In re Petition of Hyson, 649 A.2d 807, 808 (Del. 1994).