Title: Charbonneau v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 280, 2006
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: June 19, 2006

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
LINDA L. CHARBONNEAU, 
 
 
Defendant Below-  
 
Appellant,  
 
 
 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
 
Appellee. 
§ 
§ 
§  No. 280, 2006 
§ 
§  Certification of Questions of 
§  Law from the Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Sussex County 
§  Cr. ID 0207003810 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: June 6, 2006 
 
 
 
 
Decided: 
June  19, 2006 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, BERGER, JACOBS, and 
RIDGELY, Justices, constituting the Court en banc. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 19th day of June 2006, it appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) 
The Superior Court of the State of Delaware certified two 
questions to this Court in accordance with the Delaware Constitution, art. 
IV, § 11(9) and Delaware Supreme Court Rule 41.  Specifically, by order 
dated June 2, 2006, the following questions have been certified: 
a.  Notwithstanding the trial judge’s subjective belief that he is free of 
bias or prejudice, is there an objective appearance of bias as a matter of law 
sufficient to cause doubt about his impartiality? 
 
b.  If there is not an objective appearance of bias sufficient to cause 
doubt about his impartiality, are there unusual circumstances in this case 
which would warrant reassignment to another judge as a matter of judicial 
administration? 
 
2 
 
(2) 
Supreme Court Rule 41 provides, in part, that certification will 
be accepted by this Court only if there are “important and urgent reasons for 
an immediate determination by this Court of the questions certified.”  
(3) 
The Court has considered the questions certified and the 
particular circumstances of this case and has determined that important and 
urgent reasons do not exist to justify deviating from the ordinary appellate 
process available to the parties in this case.   
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the questions of law 
certified by the Superior Court of the State of Delaware are hereby 
REFUSED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Jack B. Jacobs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice