The program provides a mechanism by which homeowners can elect to participate in a court mediation process with their lender to find a mutually agreeable alternative to foreclosure action.
Governor Markell commented, “This program is the direct result of yet another great example of state agencies, legislators, attorneys, lenders, bankers, housing counselors, nonprofits, advocates, and other stakeholders coming together to find creative ways to help Delaware’s families keep their homes. So many families facing foreclosure did everything right. They played by the rules, they worked hard, but fell victim to the national recession. Helping them stay in their homes is good for our economy and good for Delaware's families. Delaware is a state of neighbors. When we see a problem, we come together to solve it."
President Judge Vaughn remarked, “The residential mortgage foreclosure mediation program which has been adopted by the Court represents the work of both lenders and homeowners. With the assistance of housing counselors, the program gives homeowners an opportunity to negotiate an alternative to foreclosure, without affecting substantial rights of lenders.” For More Details Visit Delaware Foreclosure Help.
August 31, 2009—Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program Directive
President Judge Vaughn explained that "representatives of both lenders and homeowners worked together to develop the mortgage mediation program which has been adopted in the Administrative Directive. It is designed to give homeowners an opportunity to negotiate an alternative to foreclosure, with the assistance of housing counselors, without affecting substantial rights of lenders."
This Administrative Directive applies to all mortgage foreclosure actions within its scope filed on or after September 15, 2009.
August 26, 2009—Mental Health Court Gets $347,000 Byrne Grant
Superior Court’s Mental Health Court, the first felony mental health court in Delaware, has been awarded $347,000 from the Byrne Grant Stimulus Funds announced President Judge James T. Vaughn Jr. “This funding will allow Superior Court’s Mental Health Court Program, and its case management, to be expanded to all three counties.”
Mental Health Court which began in New Castle County (April 2008) is a collaborative mental health court project designed to identify persons involved in the criminal justice system as a result of serious mental health issues.
It provides them with intensive services and support to guide them to recovery and self sufficiency as an alternative to repeated incarceration for violations of probation or commission of new offenses.
The Court strives to provide necessary wrap-around services to reduce the number of days in prison and psychiatric hospitals for individuals with mental health issues, thereby reducing recidivism, improving public safety, and achieving cost savings.
August 13, 2009—Mediation Training Directive Published
August 10, 2009—Jury Commissioners Eliminated; Saves $15,000 Yearly.
Six outdated jury commissioner positions were eliminated from the court system when House Bill 151 was signed by Governor Jack Markell..
Jury commissioners used to be responsible for insuring that a random, fair cross-section of Delawareans were called for jury service. However, this work is now done by a computer program handled by the Superior Court Jury Services staff. The Court's computerized process is designed to insure that jury pools are randomly selected and reflect Delaware's population.
The legislation "will save the State $15,000 in unnecessary expense," said President Judge James T. Vaughn Jr. "Through the Court's computerized jury selection process, the court [Jury Services] staff generates a random selection of jurors and ensures Delawareans get a jury of their peers."
July 15-17, 2009—Judge Jurden Attends National Mental Health Court Training Event
Judge Jan R. Jurden attended the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) / The Council of State Governments Justice Center's National Technical Assistance and Training Event, Smart Responses in Tough Times: Achieving Better Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses Involved in the Criminal Justice System in Washington D.C. on a BJA scholarship. Attendees came from all over the country, representing courts, corrections, community treatment organizations, police, legislatures, and charitable foundations.
Training Event Presentations included sessions on Veterans courts, data collection to assess mental health courts cost effectiveness and effectiveness in reducing recidivism, improving public safety, and saving money through reduced jail/prison time, information sharing, collaboration between agencies, i.e., courts, police, corrections, integrating employment strategies into criminal justice programs, pretrial diversion opportunities, prioritizing populations with co-occurring disorders, and addressing homeless populations, among others. Read Superior Court Mental Health Court Info >>
July 1, 2009—Project Rightful Owner A Success
Superior Court’s Project Rightful Owner launched in May 2007 has disbursed nearly $3.5 million of the excess proceeds from Sheriff's sales as of June 2009.
Excess proceeds arise when the value of the property, at the time of sale, exceeds the amount of money needed to pay off all recorded liens and mortgages. View
complete details>>
May 11, 2009—Superior Court Launches iCourtClerk™
Superior Court launches iCourtClerk™ a new Superior Court Internet initiative to assist our users with a Web-based Answer Desk. This service is provided for those who choose Internet communications as their primary communication tool and who cannot find the information they need through online searches or our Quick Connect or Quick Find Index. Read More >>
February
26, 2009—Judge Jurden Honored with Sylvia H. Rambo Award
Judge Jan R. Jurden was the recipient of 2009 Sylvia H. Rambo Award presented by the Women's Law Caucus of Pennsylvania State University and Dickinson School of Law. The Women's Law Caucus (WLC) honors a female in the legal profession who has had a distinguished career and who, by example, has made the professional success of other women more likely. The judge is the fifteenth recipient of this prestigious award.
Judge Jurden has served on the Superior Court of Delaware since her appointment in May 2001. She is a graduate of the Dickinson School of Law, and previously was a partner with the Delaware law firm, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor.
November
12, 2008—Delaware Bar Presents Awards
Judge Richard F. Stokes received the 2008 Distinguished Mentoring Award from the Delaware State Bar Association on October 22, 2008 at the Hotel
du Pont. The award recognizes a Delaware lawyer or judge who serves as
an inspiration in striving for and maintaining the highest standards in
their professional careers and community involvement.
Master Daniel M. Kristol received the Outstanding Service to the Courts
and Bar Award for substantially assisting the courts and Bar.
November
10, 2008—Mortgage Foreclosure Dormant Docket Created After
30% Rise
Effective October 27, Administrative
Directive 2008-3 creates a mortgage foreclosure dormant docket. Mortgage
foreclosures rose 30% in fiscal year 2008 and the process of negotiating
and performing such agreements may exceed the period during which pending
actions may be inactive. At any time after a mortgage foreclosure complaint
is served and the time for filing of answers by all defendants has passed,
the plaintiff may request that the action be moved from the active docket
to the mortgage foreclosure dormant docket. Any party may request that
the action be moved back to the active docket. This Directive shall apply
to all mortgage foreclosure actions now pending or hereafter filed and
will expire after five years, unless extended, or unless sooner rescinded. Read
Complete Directive >>
October 15, 2008—President
Judge Releases 2008 Annual Report
The
celebration began with a CLE program regarding the changes experienced
by judges over the past 50 years including innovations in technology,
the emergence of collaborative courts to address the unique social and
criminal justice issues and the advancement of scientific issues in the
courtroom. Events celebrating the 50th anniversary will continue throughout
the year.
Judge Carpenter was recognized for his two years of service on the conference's
executive board. He will continue this upcoming year as chair
of the Judicial Division Membership Committee. The most significant
action taken at the NCSTJ business meeting was the approval of by-laws
amendments. Judge Scott served as a member of the by-laws committee that
recommended the changes. Full
Story >>
September
19, 2008—Superior Court Names Judge Jurden to Task Force
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center selected Delaware
as one of 4 states to participate in the national project. The project's
mission is to improve responses to people with mental illnesses who are
involved in the justice system. Funding and technical assistance will
be provided by 2 nonprofits, the CSG
Justice Center and the National
GAINS Center.
For Superior Court the Initiative will build upon our existing pilot Mental
Health Court, started in early 2008 that Judge Jurden initiated and oversees. Read
More >>
August
21, 2008—Superior Court Welcomes New Judge
President
Judge James T. Vaughn Jr. administered the oath of office to Superior
Court's new Judge for New Castle County, John A. Parkins Jr. The investiture
was held in Courtroom 8B of the New Castle County Courthouse.
The oath of office was followed by remarks from Governor Ruth Ann Minner,
Chief Justice Myron T. Steele, and William J. Wade, Esq.
August
4, 2008—Superior Court Welcomes New Commissioner
President
Judge James T. Vaughn Jr. administered the oath of office to Superior
Court's new Commissioner for New Castle County, Lynne
M. Parker, on July 24, 2008. Lynne's investiture was held in Courtroom
8B of the New Castle County Courthouse.
Judge Vaughn opened the court followed by her children, Samuel (6 ½
years old) and Tia (4 years old), leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The
children then held the Bible while the oath was administered. Her parents,
Jacob and Joy Parker, assisted in the robing ceremony. Judge
Joseph R. Slights III and Lynne's husband, Charles M. Oberly III spoke,
followed by the Commissioner's remarks. A reception followed and a good
time was had by all!
June
2, 2008—Sussex County Superior Court Moves to New System
Sussex County Superior Court was the first of the three counties to implement
the new statewide Contexte civil case management system. The new
case management system is a typical user-friendly Windows-type application.
It incorporates Civil case management, accounting, e-filing, document
management, and a public access component.
May
6, 2008—History of Delaware's Business Courts Article
Published
Judge
Joseph R. Slights III co-authored the newly published article "The History of Delaware's Business Courts," Business
Law Today, Vol. 17, No. 4, March / April 2008 with Vice Chancellor
Donald F. Parsons Jr. The authors write that "both the Delaware Court
of Chancery and Superior Court demonstrate a commitment to excellence
in adjudication of business disputes that attracts litigants from around
the country, including the nation's leading corporations." "Delaware
is the forum of choice for resolving complex business and commercial issues,
in part, because the judiciary focuses so actively on fairness, efficiency
and expertise in corporate law and related business matters. As a result,
businesses that choose to incorporate in Delaware enjoy the benefit of
a reliable and consistent body of law on which they can rely when conducting
their business affairs."
The celebration began with a CLE program regarding the
changes experienced by judges over the past 50 years including
innovations in technology, the emergence of collaborative
courts to address the unique social and criminal justice
issues and the advancement of scientific issues in the
courtroom. Events celebrating the 50th anniversary will
continue throughout the year.
Judge Carpenter was recognized for his two years of service
on the conference's executive board. He will continue
this upcoming year as chair
of the Judicial Division Membership Committee. The
most significant action taken at the NCSTJ business meeting
was the approval of by-laws amendments. Judge Scott served
as a member of the by-laws committee that recommended
the changes.
The practice of dividing the executive board into geographic
districts and requiring the delegates from that region
to elect the district representative was replaced by a
ten member at-large board. This change was implemented
to reflect the difficulty that has been experienced over
the past 10 years getting representatives in certain areas
of the country and the unreasonable delay that many delegates
in more active districts were experiencing before they
would get representatives on the governing board.
Since the district in which Delaware was grouped included
Maryland, D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania, all which
send active delegates to the conference, this was a particularly
important change for our state. It is expected that the
ABA Board of Governors will approve the change in the
fall and the new by-laws will be in effect for the next
election cycle.
May
30, 2008—Judge Susan C. Del Pesco Retires
After serving 20 years on the Superior Court bench Judge
Susan C. Del Pesco retired from the bench. She was
the state's first female Superior Court judge.
"Judge Del Pesco has served with honor and distinction,"
President
Judge James T. Vaughn Jr. said. "As the first
woman appointed to the court, she has set the example
for other women judges and lawyers to follow. She will
be missed by her fellow judges, but we wish her well as
she moves on to other endeavors."
April
24, 2008—Prominent Role in National Mock
Trial Championship
Delaware hosted the 25th
Annual National High School Mock Trial Championship
from May 7 through May 11, 2008. Championship teams from
across the United States, the Commonwealth of Northern
Mariana Islands, Guam and South Korea competed for the
prestigious National High School Mock Trial Championship.
April
15, 2008—New Castle County Superior
Court Commissioner Retires
Commissioner David A. White who was appointed by Governor
Ruth Ann Minner in 2001 retired from the Superior Court
bench to return to private practice. He was responsible
for all pretrial matters in the Court's asbestos litigation
and served as a mediator in personal injury, medical negligence
and commercial matters.
April
10, 2008—New Castle County Superior
Court Discontinues Civil Calendar Call
Effective May 1, 2008, the New Castle County Superior
Court will discontinue the Civil Call of the Calendar.
Attorneys will no longer have to attend the Call, Wednesday
before trial.
March
10, 2008—Esteban Parra, "Rule
Aims to Clear Superior Court Backlog," The News Journal
Abstract: A change to Superior
Court's Civil Rules is forcing people who file civil suits
to resolve their cases without trials is being lauded
as a time-saver by Superior Court. But attorneys who argue
lawsuits affected by the change are concerned it will
cost their clients more.
"I think this will be more expensive under the new
rule for an injured victim who may be out of work,"
said Susan D. Ament, who represents injury victims. Under
the change, litigants could be forced to pay mediators
to help resolve cases, which could cost $350 to $400.
They also may have to pay for depositions and other requests
for information.
Before the change went into effect, cases involving less
then $100,000 were subject to a practice called alternative
dispute resolution, in which the disputing parties tried
to resolve the lawsuit without a trial. Usually, the disputing
parties would use a practice called arbitration, in which
a third, neutral party decided the case. This decision
could or could not be binding.
Proceedings often were delayed by scheduling conflicts
among attorneys. This in turn prevented litigants from
resolving their issues. Under the change, judges will
assign schedules in which the dispute resolutions must
take place. This will apply to almost all civil lawsuits.
To help resolve the disputes, attorneys will have to use
Arbitration, which many attorneys have used and can be
compared to a mini-trial; Mediation, in which a neutral
party helps settle the case by offering possible solutions;
or Neutral Assessment, in which the third party evaluates
the case for the litigants and reports what would work.
Despite the guidelines, some attorneys say they're not
sure what to expect. "Nobody really knows what's
going to happen and that's part of the problem,"
said Anthony R. Arcaro, who also represents injury victims.
"There is a lot of uncertainty. We don't know if
it's going to cost us more money or cost the defendants
more money. It's never been done before."That uncertainty
helped increase the number of cases filed in February,
before the new rules went into effect.
More than 500 civil suits were filed last month in New
Castle County Superior Court, which normally sees between
200 and 300 lawsuits per month. The southern counties
did not see as large an increase. "There is always
a fear of the unknown," said Joshua W. Martin III,
a retired Superior Court judge.
While there are still some cases that need to be litigated,
the majority of civil cases can be resolved through alternative
means, Martin said. Martin, whose practice focuses on
arbitration and mediation, said he is aware of some of
the concerns lawyers share. But he added that the new
processes need to be given a chance. "To tell the
truth, we're going to have to see how it works,"
he said.
Cases exempt from the rule include mortgage foreclosure,
replevin (recovery of property wrongly taken) and wage
attachments. It is estimated that more than 1,000 cases
per year will now be required to go into a form of alternative
dispute resolution.
It is expected the majority of these cases will go initially
to mediation. While the disputing parties are supposed
to decide what plan they want to use to resolve their
case, the court will assign mediation if the litigants
cannot decide. These alternative means should clear the
backlog of civil cases in Superior Court and allow the
court to focus its limited resources on more complex matters
that do not easily lend themselves to alternative resolution
in a timely manner. The new rule also has the court setting
deadlines in an attempt to dispose of the case more efficiently;
something that was not happening under the previous rule.
The average disposition time for cases that were going
under the old rule was 335 days, said Superior Court Judge
Joseph R. Slights III, who helped guide the changes. "The
system had been turned on its head in terms of disposition
rates," said Slights, adding that part of the court's
job is to give parties a prompt day in court. "That's
really our core mission for people who file complaints."
Like any process, Slights said, it is one that is going
to require changes in practice from the perspective of
the courts and litigants. "If it is not achieving
its desired goal, then we are going to be open to changing
it," Slights said. If the case cannot be resolved
by alternative resolution, the parties can still take
it to trial.
January
23, 2008—2008 - 2009 Judges' Rotation
Plan Issued
President
James T. Vaughn Jr.
has issued the Judges'
Rotation Plan for January 2008 through November 2009.
The rotation plan is adopted by the President Judge after
a consideration of the impact rotation will have upon
the performance of the Court in each county. Rotation
is desirable so that members of each county's bar has
the opportunity to appear not only before Superior Court
judges in the practicing lawyer's county, but those who
are not residents in that county; and the Superior Court
judges obtain a fresh perspective from time to time by
sitting in different counties.
January
14, 2008—Project Rightful Owner Disburses
Over $1 Million
Since May 10, 2007 when Superior Court launched Project
Rightful Owner the Court has disbursed over $1 million
announced Judge
Susan C. Del Pesco.
The project was launched because the court had nearly
$5 million excess proceeds from Sheriff's sales that occurred
during the past five years. The funds are waiting to be
claimed by the rightful owner of the money.
Excess proceeds arise when the value of the property,
at the time of sale, exceeds the amount of money needed
to pay off all recorded liens and mortgages. Because of
the dramatic increase in the value of real estate in recent
years, excess proceeds have become more common. (View
complete details.)
January
9, 2008—Kent County Courthouse Construction
Contract Awarded
Delaware Office of Management and Budget Director Jennifer
(J.J.) Davis announced the signing of a contract with
Nason Construction for the Kent County Courthouse project
in Dover.
The Kent County Courthouse project consists of the construction
of a new courthouse, the connection of the existing courthouse
to the new building, renovation of the existing courthouse,
and construction of a parking garage to serve the needs
of the courthouse complex. The projected opening date
of the facility is July 2011.
Nason Construction, Inc., headquartered in Wilmington,
Delaware, provides construction management, design-build
and general contracting services for commercial, institutional,
and government clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
(View
Press Release.)
November
30, 2007—Effective January 1, 2008, all
new Civil Complaints, Mechanic's Liens, and Mortgage cases
filed with the Prothonotary in any county, whether subject
to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or not, shall
be filed and/or served electronically using the LexisNexis®
File & Serve e-Filing system.
Eventually the system will apply to all Superior Court
civil filings. Directive 2007-4 expands the use of e-filing
to all Civil Complaints including Mechanic's Liens and
Mortgages. (View
Administrative Directive No. 2007-4.)
Note: This designation does not include Civil Appeals,
Involuntary Commitments, or Civil Miscellaneous proceedings.
October
30, 2007—Legislation recently passed created
a Court
Security Assessment that requires the Courts to collect
a fee on each initial civil filing and on each criminal
and traffic charge for which there is a conviction.
Under Superior
Court Administrative Order 2007-1, effective December
1, 2007, the Prothonotary shall collect a $10.00 Court
Security Assessment on all initial civil fillings and
on all criminal and traffic charges for which there is
a conviction. The assessment will be maintained in a separate
account designated as the Court Security Assessment
Fund.
The project was launched because the court has nearly
$5 million excess proceeds from Sheriff's sales that occurred
during the past five years. The funds are waiting to be
claimed by the rightful owner of the money.
Excess proceeds arise when the value of the property,
at the time of sale, exceeds the amount of money needed
to pay off all recorded liens and mortgages. Because of
the dramatic increase in the value of real estate in recent
years, excess proceeds have become more common.
(View
complete details.)
July
19, 2007—Effective August 1, 2007, LexisNexis
will begin assessing and collecting Delaware Superior
Court's $225.00 additional docket fee on all e-filed cases.
The assessment will be billed to Plaintiff's counsel.
This fee is in accordance with Superior Court Civil Rule
77(h).
The AJS is an independent, national, nonpartisan organization
of judges, lawyers, and other members of the public who
seek to improve the justice system.
AJS' mission is to secure and promote an independent and
qualified judiciary and fair system of justice. The primary
areas of focus are judicial independence, judicial conduct
and ethics, judicial selection, the jury, criminal justice
system, and public understanding of the justice system.
Annually, AJS presents the Opperman
Award to a state judge of a trial or appellate court
who has had a career of distinguished judicial service.
The nominee must sit on and have at least ten years of
judicial service on a trial and/or appellate court of
general civil and/or criminal jurisdiction from one of
the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.
The award is named for Dwight D. Opperman, former chairman
and CEO of West Publishing Company.
This year's panel selected Louisiana's Chief Justice Pascal
Calogero Jr.; the award will be presented later this year.
May
9, 2007—New Castle County Superior Court
launched Project
Rightful Owner to find the people entitled to claim
over $5 million in excess proceeds from Sheriff's Sales
which have occurred in the past 5 years.
Through a combined effort between the Sheriff of New Castle
County, Michael P. Walsh, and Superior
Court Judge Susan Del Pesco, the money from past sales
has been transferred to Superior Court, in advance of
a petition seeking the funds, in order to make it known
to owners or their heirs that there are residual funds.
Daniel M. Kristol, Esq., an expert in real estate law—retired
from Richards, Layton & Finger—has been appointed
Special Master, pro bono publico, to review the
petitions and process claims.
April
26, 2007—The nation's
top corporate counsel and senior litigators have recognized
the Superior Court of Delaware as the premier court of
general
jurisdiction in the nation for the sixth year in a
row. View
Complete Report.
You can also read a
Related Story.
April
13, 2007—Superior
Court's 175th Anniversary was celebrated by judges,
government officials, and distinguished guests at the
historic New Castle County Courthouse, in New Castle,
Delaware on April 9, 2007. Although Superior
Court's heritage can be traced back more than 337
years to December 6, 1669, our law courts which represent
today's Superior Court jurisdiction, were decreed under
the Constitution of 1831.
They included Superior Court, which heard civil matters,
the Court of General Sessions, which heard criminal matters,
and the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which heard capital
cases and consisted of all four law judges for the other
two courts. (View
the judges that served under the Constitution of 1831.)
Superior Court, the first state court in the nation to
implement electronic filing in 1991, has direct experience
with e-filing through LexisNexis™ File & Serve
and the speed, efficiency, storage and cost savings that
e-filing provides the Court, counsel and litigants. Eventually
the system will apply to all civil filings in the Superior
Court. This Directive expands the use of e-filing to all
civil filings subject to ADR. (View
the Administrative Directive.)
February
5, 2007—Effective
Monday, February 5, 2007, the Kent County Sheriff's Office
will begin processing all electronically filed Kent County
Sheriff Returns using LexisNexis™. This will
only apply to cases which are e-filed using LexisNexis™.
Counsel requesting service will receive notice of the
return, as the Sheriff's Office will select counsel as
a service party. (View
Full Notice.)
January 3, 2007—The
Superior Court Civil
Rules Advisory Committee has convened to undertake
a complete review of its civil rules and make recommendations
for appropriate changes. The committee will consider the
recent amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
and make recommendations as to whether they should be
incorporated into our rules. The committee's review, however,
is not limited to the federal rules changes.
Judge Joseph R. Slights III, participated in a Georgetown
University Law Center CLE Program entitled: Advanced
E-Discovery Institute on November 17, 2006.
Judge Slights gave a presentation on E-Discovery in
the criminal context.
December 15, 2006—By
court decree, children throughout the State will be returning
to the Delaware Superior Court to witness the third annual
reenactment of the courtroom scene of the Miracle on
34th Street. The event is a joint project of the Courts
and the Delaware State Bar Association's Arts Committee.
The "hearings" were held in New Castle, Kent
and Sussex County Superior Court.
Former Attorney
General M. Jane Brady, now Superior Court Judge, prosecuted
the case herself, "I just have to see this through
myself", she said. "I want to make very sure
that Kris Kringle has the same opportunity he did last
year." By "opportunity", Judge Brady means
a chance to meet the children. More than 2000 public and
private school children visited one of the Delaware Courtrooms
and experienced a trial setting in this reenactment. Justice
Henry duPont Ridgely presided on the Superior Court bench
by designation.
November
13, 2006—Superior Court announces its
Winter Mediation
Training course pursuant to Civil Rule 16.1. The course,
at Buena Vista Conference Center, New Castle, Delaware
will be on March 20, 21, 22 & March 27, 2007. Online
Applications Are Now Available.
October 20, 2006—On
October 19, 2006, Superior Court Judge
Joseph R. Slights III was awarded the Distinguished
Mentoring Award by the Delaware
State Bar Association. The Distinguished Mentoring
Award is bestowed upon a Delaware lawyer or judge
who, by distinguished mentoring of other Delaware lawyers
(or future lawyers) over a period of many years, has served
as an inspiration to and a model for those lawyers in
striving for and maintaining the highest standards in
their professional careers and in their community involvement.
September 20, 2006—Kent
County Superior Court Resident
Judge William L. Witham Jr. was the featured speaker
at Liberty
University School of Law's Center for Career and Professional
Development Program in Lynchburg, Virginia on September
19, 2006. Judge Witham's lecture was on the "Code
of Pre-trial and Trial Conduct for Attorneys."
August 24, 2006—Effective
Tuesday, September 5, 2006, the Kent County Superior Court
will allow judgments and execution writs to be filed electronically
via LexisNexis™
File & Serve. This is only
for cases that are subject to Civil Rule 16.1 and the
value of the case is over $100,000.00. (Non-Arbitration
Cases which have been certified.)VIEW
DETAILS.
August 24, 2006—Judge
William C. Carpenter has been elected to the Executive
Committee of the National
Conference of State Trial Judges (NCSTJ). The NCSTJ
is a conference of the Judicial Division of the American
Bar Association. It is the largest national organization
of general jurisdiction state judges in the world. Judge
Carpenter will serve a two-year term.
Judge Carpenter has also been appointed to serve this
year as chairman of the American Bar Association (ABA)
Judicial Division membership committee. The Judicial Division
is comprised of six conferences representing judges who
serve in federal and state courts throughout the United
States as well as various administrative boards and represents
the judiciary in matters that come before the ABA House
of Delegates.
March 17, 2006—The
nation's top corporate counsel and senior litigators have
recognized the Superior Court of Delaware as the premier
court of general
jurisdiction in the country for the fifth year in
a row. VIEW
COMPLETE REPORT.
You can also read a
RELATED STORY.
March 16, 2006—Judge
M. Jane Brady was one of five leaders inducted into
the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women. The Delaware Commission
on Women's award ceremony and banquet is one of the state's
most prestigious events. It honors a select group of Delaware
women for their distinguished contributions and achievements
toward improving the lives of others. Eighty-seven women,
representing advocacy, volunteerism, business, education,
law, government, medicine, and other fields have been
inducted into the Hall of Fame.
September
16, 2006—At a Special Session in the New
Castle County Courthouse, the Superior Court of Delaware
honoredJudge
Haile
L. Alford, who died in office on August 11, 2003.
At the ceremony, the Superior Court and the Multicultural
Judges and Lawyers Section of the Delaware State Bar Association
unveiled a portrait of Judge
Alford, the first African-American female judge appointed
to a Delaware constitutional court, and also named Courtroom
8A in honor of Judge Alford.
