List of justices of the Delaware Supreme Court
Following is a list of Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court. From 1772 to 1950, Delaware did not have appointed Supreme Court justices. Instead, appeals from intermediate appellate determinations were taken to "The High Court of Errors and Appeals" - a panel made up of the state Chancellor, and all judges of the "Supreme Court" and of the Courts of Common Pleas who had not previously been involved with the case; under that system, the sole "Supreme Court" justice was the Chief Justice of Delaware.
In 1950, Delaware created a new state Supreme Court, with three judges appointed by the governor.
Judicial officers
Judge | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Notes |
Carolyn Berger | 1994 | 2014 | - |
Howard W. Bramhall | 1954 | 1962 | - |
James B. Carey | 1963 | 1974 | - |
Andrew D. Christie | 1983 | 1992 | Chief Justice from 1985-1992. |
William Duffy | 1973 | 1982 | - |
Daniel L. Herrmann | 1965 | 1985 | Chief Justice from 1973-1985. |
Randy J. Holland | 1986 | present | - |
Henry R. Horsey | 1978 | 1994 | - |
Jack B. Jacobs | 2003 | 2014 | - |
John J. McNeilly, Jr. | 1974 | 1986 | - |
Andrew G. T. Moore II | 1982 | 1994 | - |
William T. Quillen | 1978 | 1983 | - |
Henry du Pont Ridgely | 2004 | 2015 | - |
Collins J. Seitz, Jr. | 2015 | present | - |
Clarence A. Southerland | 1951 | 1963 | Chief Justice from 1951-1963. |
Myron T. Steele | 2000 | 2014 | Chief Justice from 2004–2014. |
Leo Strine[1] | 2014 | present | Chief Justice from 2014–present |
Charles L. Terry, Jr. | 1962 | 1964 | Chief Justice from 1963-1964. |
James M. Tunnell, Jr. | 1951 | 1954 | - |
Karen L. Valihura[2] | 2014 | present | - |
James T. Vaughn Jr.[3] | 2014 | present | - |
E. Norman Veasey | 1992 | 2004 | Chief Justice from 1992-2004. |
Joseph T. Walsh | 1985 | 2003 | - |
Daniel F. Wolcott | 1951 | 1973 | Chief Justice from 1964-1973. |
Chief justices of the High Court of Errors and Appeals
Colonial Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Lower Counties
Judge | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Notes |
William Clarke | 1684 | 1707 | Also a Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. |
Jasper Yeats | 1707 | 1710 | - |
John Healey | 1710 | 1714 | - |
Richard Birmingham | 1714 | 1717 | - |
Jasper Yeats | 1717 | 1720 | - |
John French | 1726 | 1727 | - |
David Evans | 1727 | 1741 | - |
Samuel Chew | 1741 | 1743 | - |
William Till | 1743 | 1745 | - |
Ryves Holt | 1745 | 1764 | - |
John Vining | 1764 | 1770 | - |
Richard McWilliam, Jr. | 1773 | 1777 | - |
Chief justices of the state of Delaware
Judge | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Notes |
William Killen | 1777 | 1793 | - |
Richard Bassett | 1793 | 1793 | - |
George Read | 1793 | 1798 | - |
Kensey Johns | 1799 | 1799 | - |
James Booth, Sr. | 1799 | 1828 | - |
Thomas Clayton | 1828 | 1830 | - |
Samuel M. Harrington | 1830 | 1837 | - |
John M. Clayton | 1837 | 1839 | - |
Richard H. Bayard | 1839 | 1841 | - |
James Booth, Jr. | 1841 | 1855 | - |
Samuel M. Harrington | 1855 | 1857 | - |
Edward Gilpin | 1857 | 1876 | - |
Joseph P. Comegys | 1876 | 1893 | - |
Charles B. Lore | 1893 | 1909 | - |
James Pennewell | 1909 | 1933 | - |
Daniel J. Layton | 1933 | 1945 | - |
Charles S. Richards | 1945 | 1951 | - |