The Delaware State Courts will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th for Election 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).

Sussex County Courts including Justice of the Peace Court 2, 4, and 17 will be closing at noon on Thursday, November 7th for Return Day. JP Court 14 will be closed the entire day due to proximity to Return Day events.

About Us


The Honorable Charles E. Butler, Resident Judge


Judge Charles E. Butler

The Honorable Charles E. Butler became a Judge of the Superior Court of Delaware on December 7, 2012; he was appointed New Castle County Resident Judge by Govenor John Carney on June 2, 2020.

Judge Butler received his B.A. from the University of Delaware in 1978 and his J.D. from Catholic University in 1981.

Prior to coming to Superior Court Judge Butler was Delaware's Chief Deputy Attorney General. For a decade he served as a prosecutor in the Delaware Department of Justice from 1985 to 1995, and he was an Assistant District Attorney with the City of Philadelphia from 1983 to 1985.

He was formerly in private practice in his own firm in Delaware from 2004 to 2010. Judge Butler practiced law in Arizona from 2000 to 2004. He also was a partner at Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins in Delaware from 1995 to 2000, and an Associate with Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1983.

Judge Butler's present term ends June 2, 2032.