Title: Thomas v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 61, 2024
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: March 18, 2024

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
TERRY THOMAS, JR.,  
 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellee. 
§ 
§   
§  No. 61, 2024 
§   
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  C.A. Nos. N19M-01-094 
§                   N19M-12-202 
§                   N21M-06-074 
§ 
 
Submitted: February 28, 2024 
Decided: 
March 18, 2024 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and GRIFFITHS, Justices. 
 
 
ORDER 
 
After consideration of the notice to show cause and the response, it appears to 
the Court that:   
(1) 
The appellant, Terry Thomas, Jr., filed this appeal from a Superior 
Court Commissioner’s order denying his petition for return of property under 16 
Del. C. § 4784.  The Senior Court Clerk issued a notice directing Thomas to show 
cause why this appeal should not be dismissed for this Court’s lack of jurisdiction to 
consider an appeal taken directly from a Superior Court Commissioner’s order.   
(2) 
In his response to the notice to show cause, Thomas challenges the 
merits of the order on appeal.  He does not address the jurisdictional defect.   
 
2
(3) 
The right to review of a Superior Court Commissioner’s order is to a 
judge of the Superior Court.1  This Court lacks jurisdiction to consider an appeal 
directly from a Superior Court Commissioner’s order.2  Accordingly, this appeal 
must be dismissed. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rule 29(b), 
that this appeal is DISMISSED.   
BY THE COURT: 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      Chief Justice 
 
 
1 Super. Ct. Civ. R. 132(a)(4); Superior Court Administrative Directive 2007-5. 
2 Jagger v. State, 2019 WL 7369200, at *1 (Del. Dec. 30, 2019) (“In the absence of intermediate 
review by a Superior Court judge, this Court is without jurisdiction to hear an appeal from any 
action taken by a Commissioner.”).