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N. Christopher Griffiths
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2023 - Present
2035
2
N. Christopher Griffiths is a judge of the Delaware Supreme Court. Griffiths assumed office on May 22, 2023. Griffiths' current term ends on May 22, 2035.
Gov. John Carney (D) appointed Griffiths via assisted appointment.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Appointments
2023
Gov. John Carney (D) appointed N. Christopher Griffiths via assisted appointment to the Delaware Supreme Court. Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves resigned on February 7, 2023 to accept her nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[2] Griffiths was Governor Carney's (D) first nominee to the five-member supreme court.
At the time of the vacancy under Delaware law, state supreme court justices were selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission.
State supreme court judicial selection in Delaware
- See also: Judicial selection in Delaware
The five justices on the Delaware Supreme Court are selected by an assisted appointment method, whereby a judicial nominating commission screens candidates and submits at least three names to the governor. The governor may decline to appoint someone from this list and instead request a supplemental list, but ultimately a name from one of these lists must be submitted to the Delaware Senate. The commission is made up of 12 members, eleven of which are appointed by the governor (including at least four lawyers and at least three non-lawyers). The president of the Delaware State Bar Association nominates the twelfth member, who is added to the commission with the governor's approval. The governor designates the commission's chairperson.[3]
Appointed justices serve for 12 years, at which point they must apply to the commission for reappointment.[4] The commission must recommend sitting judges for reappointment unless two-thirds or more of the committee object. Reappointed judges also serve 12-year terms.[4] Delaware is relatively unique in that appointees' initial terms are no shorter than their subsequent ones
Delaware's constitution requires that there be an even partisan balance on each state court. For courts with an even number of judges, this means that no more than half of the seats on the court may be held by judges who are members of the same political party. For courts with an odd number of judges (including the state supreme court), this means that no more than a bare majority of seats on the court may be held by members of the same party. For example, a court with five seats could not have any more than three judges who are members of the same party.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must:
- be a state resident; and
- be learned in the law.[5]
Chief justice
The process for selecting a chief judge or justice for the supreme, superior, and chancery courts is identical to the process used to select associate judges. The governor chooses an appointee from a list compiled by the judicial nominating commission, and if the state Senate gives consent, the appointee will serve a 12-year term as chief.[3]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list with Senate approval. The new appointee serves a 12-year term.[3][6]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Delaware Business Times, "Judge LeGrow, Connolly Gallagher’s Griffiths tapped for high court," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Delaware Courts, "Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves announces she will step down in February to join the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals," December 16, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Delaware.gov, "Executive Order 16," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Delaware Code Online, "§ 3. Appointment of judges; terms of office; vacancies; political representation; confirmation of appointment.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ The Delaware Code Online, "§ 2. Justices of Supreme Court and other State Judges; qualifications; residence; precedence.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Delaware • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Delaware
State courts:
Delaware Supreme Court • Superior Court of Delaware • Delaware Court of Chancery • Delaware Family Court • Delaware Court of Common Pleas • Delaware Justice of the Peace Courts • Delaware Alderman's Courts
State resources:
Courts in Delaware • Delaware judicial elections • Judicial selection in Delaware
