The Delaware State Courts will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2024 for Veterans Day. Justice of the Peace Court 11 (New Castle County) and Court 7 (Kent County) will remain open 24 hours and Justice of the Peace Court 3 (Sussex County) will be open from 6AM – 12PM (no new cases after 11:00PM).

Judicial Officers and Staff


The Family Court has a staff of more than 300 employees including the judiciary. These employees comprise the following primary groups.


Judges


Number: The Court is allowed 17 Judges of equal judicial authority, one of whom is appointed by the Governor as Chief Judge and who is the chief administrative and executive officer for the Court. A bare majority of the Judges must be of one major political party with the remainder of the other major political party.

Appointment: The Governor nominates the Judges, who must be confirmed by the Senate.

Tenure: The Judges are appointed for 12-year terms, subject to reappointment.

Qualifications: Judges must have been duly admitted to the practice of law before the Supreme Court of Delaware at least 5 years prior to appointment and must have a knowledge of the law and interest in and understanding of family and child problems. They shall not practice law during their tenure and may be reappointed.

Family Court Judges

Chief Judge Michael K. Newell

Judge Mark D. Buckworth

New Castle County

Judge Peter B. Jones

Sussex County

Judge Mardi F. Pyott

Kent County

Judge Arlene Minus Coppadge

New Castle County

Judge Joelle P. Hitch

New Castle County

Judge Paula Ryan

Sussex County

Judge Felice G. Kerr

New Castle County

Judge Jennifer B. Ranji

New Castle County

Judge Natalie J. Haskins

New Castle County

Judge Janell S. Ostroski

New Castle County

Judge Louann Vari

Kent County

Judge James McGiffin

Kent County

Judge Mary Much

New Castle County

Judge Michael Arrington

New Castle County

Judge Theresa M. Hayes

Sussex County

Judge Eliza M. Hirst

New Castle County


Commissioners


Commissioners hear a broad range of cases including child support, misdemeanor crimes and delinquency, civil protection orders, bail hearings and other cases as assigned. Commissioners are attorneys at law who are nominated by the Governor, confirmed by the Senate and serve an initial 4-year term. Upon second and subsequent appointments and confirmations, commissioners serve six-year terms. Orders from commissioners are subject to review by Family Court Judges.

Family Court Commissioners

Commissioner Sonja Wilson

Sussex County

Commissioner Loretta Young

New Castle County

Commissioner Andrew Southmayd

Sussex County

Commissioner DeSales Haley

New Castle County

Commissioner David Jones

Kent County

Commissioner Jennifer Mayo

New Castle County

Commissioner James J. Maxwell

New Castle County

Commissioner Para Wolcott

New Castle County

Commissioner Danielle S. Blount

New Castle County

Commissioner Kim DeBonte

Sussex County

Commissioner Gretchen C. Gilchrist

Kent County

Commissioner Theresa A. Sedivec

New Castle County

Commissioner Craig R. Fitzgerald

New Castle County

Commissioner Emily Farley

Kent County

Commissioner Francis E. Mieczkowski III

New Castle County

Commissioner Jessica Markowski-Kelly

New Castle County


Support Personnel


The three major administrative divisions of the Court are Court Operations, Fiscal Services and Human Resources. Fiscal Services and Personnel Services perform staff functions, whereas Court Operations is responsible for the delivery of services to the public.


New Employee Orientation


Welcome to the Family Court of Delaware. We are pleased that you have chosen to be a part of the Family Court and look forward to your contributions. This section of our website is designed to help you get started on your employment at Family Court.

Please click the category of employee below where you will find information specific to you.