Delaware Supreme Court
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The Delaware Supreme Court was founded in 1951. Until then, the court consisted of a compilation of justices who had not heard the case in question--in other words, Delaware employed a "left-over judge" system (from 1897-1951). The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and four justices who are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware State Senate.
Jurisdiction
"The Court has final appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases in which the sentence exceeds certain minimums, in civil cases as to final judgments and for certain other orders of the Court of Chancery, the Superior Court, and the Family Court. The Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction to issue writs of prohibition, quo warranto, certiorari, mandamus or to accept appeals of certain non-final orders or certified questions."[1]
Case load
In 2005, 583 cases were filed with the Supreme Court with 554 dispositions.
The court's justices
Selection of justices
"Delaware judges may be removed in one of two ways:
- Judges may be impeached by a majority of the house of representatives and convicted by two thirds of the senate.
- [They] may be removed, retired, or disciplined by a two-thirds vote of the court on the judiciary." [2]
Qualifications
The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and four justices who are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware State Senate. The justices are appointed for 12-year terms and must be learned in the law and citizens of Delaware. Three of the justices must represent one of the major political parties while the other two justices must be members of the other major political party.[3]
Current justices
The justices are appointed for 12-year terms and must be learned in the law and citizens of Delaware. Three of the justices must represent one of the major political parties while the other two justices must be members of the other major political party.[4]
| Name | Appointed/Elected | Term expires | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Myron Steele | July 28, 2000 | Term expires May 26, 2016. | Governor Thomas R. Carper (Democrat) |
| Randy Holland | 1986 | Term expires February 7, 2011. | Governor Michael N. Castle (Republican) |
| Carolyn Berger | July 22, 1994 | Term expires July 2018. | Governor Thomas R. Carper (Democrat) |
| Henry Ridgely | July 22, 2004 | Term expires July 22, 2016. | Governor Ruth Ann Minner (Democrat) |
| Jack Jacobs | 2003 | Term expires June 4, 2015. | Governor Ruth Ann Minner (Democrat) |
Chief justice
Myron Steele is the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. He was confirmed by the Delaware State Senate as Chief Justice on Wednesday, May 5, 2004. Steele is the 7th Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.
History of the court
The first Supreme Court of Delaware had three justices, and in 1978, this was expanded to the current five justices. The Delaware Supreme Court was established in 1951 via constitutional amendment; prior to that year, Delaware did not have a separate Supreme Court, but rather an appellate court.[5]
External links
References
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The Delaware Project on Judgepedia
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