History of the Delaware Supreme Court - Supreme Court - Delaware Courts - State of Delaware

     

State of Delaware court facilities in Sussex County will open at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Justice of the Peace Court 3 (Sussex County) will be open from 6AM – 12AM (no new cases after 11:00PM). Courts in Kent and New Castle Counties will operate on their regular schedule.

History of the Supreme Court

History of the Delaware Supreme Court


The modern Supreme Court was established in 1951 by constitutional amendment. The State's first separate Supreme Court initially consisted of three justices and was enlarged to the current five justices in 1978.

Prior to 1951, Delaware was without a separate Supreme Court. The highest appellate authority prior to the creation of the separate Supreme Court consisted of those judges who did not participate in the original litigation in the lower courts. These judges would hear the appeal en Banc (collectively) and would exercise final jurisdiction in all matters in both law and equity.

Please refer to the following documents chronicling the history of the Court:

For biographical information pertaining to current Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court, please refer to the Judicial Officers page.