IMO the Petition for a Writ of Mandamus or Prohibition by Candido Reynolds
── IMO the Petition for a Writ of Mandamus or Prohibition by Candido Reynolds ──
Court: Supreme Court of Delaware
Date: June 05, 2026
Category: General
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
IN THE MATTER OF THE §
PETITION OF CANDIDO § No. 226, 2026
ANTONIO FELIX REYNOLDS §
FOR A WRIT OF MANDAMUS §
AND/OR PROHIBITION §
Submitted: June 3, 2026
Decided: June 5, 2026
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; LEGROW and GRIFFITHS, Justices.
ORDER
Upon consideration of the petition for a writ of mandamus and/or prohibition,
the motion to stay the trial, and the motion for the immediate preparation of
transcripts, it appears to the Court that:
(1) The petitioner, Candido Antonio Felix Reynolds, seeks to invoke the
original jurisdiction of this Court under Supreme Court Rule 43 and requests the
issuance of a writ of mandamus and/or prohibition directing the Superior Court to
reverse or vacate the denial of his motion to suppress. He has also moved to stay the
trial scheduled for June 8, 2026 and for immediate preparation of transcripts. For the
reasons set forth below, the petition is dismissed. 1
1
Normally the State would be expected to respond the petition under Supreme Court Rule
43(b)(ii), but in light of the trial schedule and the jurisdictional defects on the face of the petition,
the Court is dismissing the petition sua sponte under Rule 29(c).
(2) In May 2025, a grand jury indicted Reynolds for drug dealing, third-
degree vehicular assault, reckless driving, and other traffic offenses. The Superior
Court granted Reynolds’ motion to proceed pro se. In April 2026, Reynolds filed a
motion to suppress, arguing that the traffic stop leading to his arrest was unlawful.
At the conclusion of the May 14, 2026 hearing on the motion to suppress, the
Superior Court denied the motion in a bench ruling. The Superior Court has
subsequently denied Reynolds’ motions to dismiss, to continue the trial, to disqualify
the judge, and for expedited preparation of transcripts.
(3) On June 3, 2026, Reynolds filed a petition for a writ of mandamus
and/or prohibition in this Court. In the petition, Reynolds essentially asks this Court
to review and reverse the Superior Court’s interlocutory decision denying his motion
to suppress. Under the Delaware Constitution, the Court “does not have jurisdiction
to hear an interlocutory appeal in a criminal case.” 2 The Court has regularly rejected
the use of a “writ of mandamus as a means of reviewing an interlocutory ruling” in
criminal cases. 3
2
Gannett Co. v. State, 565 A.2d 895, 899 (Del. 1989). See also Del. Const. art. IV, § 11(1)(b).
3
Normal v. State ex rel. Bove, 177 A.2d 347, 348 (Del. 1962) (dismissing petition for a writ of
mandamus directing the Superior Court to quash indictments pending against the petitioner). See
also In re Taylor, 309 A.3d 424, 2023 WL 8379200, at *2 (Del. Dec. 5, 2023) (TABLE)
(dismissing petition for a writ of mandamus seeking reversal of the Superior Court’s denial of a
motion to suppress); In re Cannon, 183 A.3d 716, 2018 WL 1376936, at *1 (Del. Mar. 16, 2018)
(TABLE) (holding that the petitioner could not use the extraordinary writ process to overcome the
Court’s lack of jurisdiction “to review an interlocutory order in a criminal case”).
2
(4) In addition, the petition fails to satisfy all of the criteria for issuance of
a writ of mandamus or prohibition. A writ of mandamus will only issue if the
petitioner can show: (i) a clear right to the performance of a duty; (ii) that no other
adequate remedy is available; and (iii) that the trial court has arbitrarily failed or
refused to perform its duty.4 “[I]n the absence of a clear showing of an arbitrary
refusal or failure to act, this Court will not issue a writ of mandamus to com
{# E23 (Nick, ruling section 1 answer 10): quoting a bill or a court opinion works
the way quoting a news article works. Select a passage above and the same panel
opens: the passage goes to the official you choose, with this document's own
address as its source and its own type. #}