Abigail LeGrow
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2023 - Present
2035
1
Abigail LeGrow is a judge of the Delaware Supreme Court. She assumed office on May 11, 2023. Her current term ends on May 22, 2035.
Gov. John Carney (D) appointed LeGrow via assisted appointment.[1]To read more about judicial selection in Delaware, click here.
LeGrow was previously a judge on the New Castle County Superior Court in Delaware.[2] She was appointed to the court by Governor Jack Markell (D) to replace Judge Fred S. Silverman, who had retired in 2015.[3]
Previously, LeGrow served as a master of chancery on the Delaware Court of Chancery.[2]
Appointments
2023
Delaware governor John Carney appointed Abigail LeGrow to the Delaware Supreme Court. LeGrow replaced Justice James T. Vaughn Jr., who retired on May 1, 2023. Vaughn's replacement was Governor Carney's (D) third nominee to the five-member supreme court.[4]
At the time of the vacancy, Delaware law required a judicial nominating commission to recommend qualified candidates to the governor, who would select a successor from that list with senate approval. LeGrow will serve a 12-year term.
Biography
LeGrow received a B.A. in political science from Susquehanna University, graduating summa cum laude. She then received her J.D. from Pennsylvania State University's Dickinson School of Law in 2004, graduating as valedictorian of her class.[2][3]
After earning her law degree, LeGrow clerked for then-Justice Jack Jacobs of the Delaware Supreme Court. She then practiced law in the private sector, focusing on corporate and commercial litigation. In 2011, she was appointed to serve as a master on the Delaware Court of Chancery by former Chancellor Leo Strine. As a master on the Chancery Court, LeGrow presided over hearings and issued several legal recommendation opinions on a variety of issues. [2][3]
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.[5]
Appointed justices serve for 12 years, at which point they must apply to the commission for reappointment.[6] The commission must recommend sitting judges for reappointment unless two-thirds or more of the committee object. Reappointed judges also serve 12-year terms.[6] 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.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must:
- be a state resident; and
- be learned in the law.[7]
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.[5]
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.[5][8]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
|
Officeholder Delaware Supreme Court |
Footnotes
- ↑ Delaware Business Times, "Judge LeGrow, Connolly Gallagher’s Griffiths tapped for high court," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Delaware Courts, "The Honorable Abigail M. LeGrow, Judge," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Delaware Online, "Abigail LeGrow sworn in as Superior Court judge," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ Delaware Live, "Longtime Delaware Supreme Court justice to retire," November 29, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Delaware.gov, "Executive Order 16," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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
