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.

  1. Delaware Courts
  2. Superior Court

Security


The Capitol Police with the assistance of Superior Court Peace Officers (Bailiffs) are responsible for keeping the Superior Court a safe and secure environment. Security procedures are done for the safety of every person who enters the courthouse; they are not meant to harass, exclude or inconvenience anyone. We appreciate your cooperation and assistance to achieve our goal.

EVERY PERSON ENTERING THE COURTHOUSE
IS SUBJECT TO A SEARCH

ALL Litigants should arrive early for court proceedings to allow time for security measures.

There are a variety of potentially hazardous and dangerous items that are not permitted inside the courthouse. In general, items that could be used to injure or harm another person are not permitted. If in doubt about an item, check the prohibited items list, leave it home or in your car.


PROHIBITED ITEMS:

 NO Weapons of any type.

 NO Cutting instruments of any type—includes knives, scissors, or anything with a cutting edge, etc.

 NO Tools of any type.

 NO Aerosol sprays or containers—includes mace, pepper spray, hair-spray, shaving cream, etc.

 NO Photographic or audio-visual equipment of any type—includes cameras, video or audio recorders or players.

 NO Permanent markers or markers of any type.


Procedure Upon Entering The Courthouse

All persons entering the courthouse are asked to:

  • Empty their pockets and place the contents in a container for X-ray scanning;
  • Place overcoats on the belt of the X-ray scanning machine.
  • Place purses, watches, jewelry, briefcases, backpacks, and parcels on the X-ray machine conveyor belt;
  • Walk through the metal detector.

If the x-ray or metal detector sets off an alert or alarm an officer may perform another scan using a hand-held wand. The officer may also conduct a physical search of personal articles to determine the cause of the alert or alarm.

Before leaving the security screening area, persons entering the courthouse should be sure to retrieve all personal possessions.

Security personnel WILL NOT hold items while you are in the courthouse therefore they are not responsible for anything left at the security screening station.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. SECURITY STAFF MAY REMOVE OFFENDERS FROM THE BUILDING; YOU MAY BE ARRESTED FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT, OR THE JUDGE MAY HOLD YOU IN CONTEMPT OF COURT.