Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 192

AN ACT PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE IV OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware (two-thirds of all the Members elected to each House agreeing thereto):

Section 1. Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution of the State of Delaware is amended by striking all of that Section and inserting in lieu thereof a new Section 3 to read as follows:

Section 3. The Justices of the Supreme Court, the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor or Vice-Chancellors, and the President Judge and Associate Judges of the Superior Court and of the Orphans' Court shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of a majority of all the Members elected to the Senate, for the term of twelve years each, and the persons so appointed shall enter upon the discharge of the duties of their respective offices upon taking the oath of office prescribed by this Constitution. If a vacancy shall occur, by expiration of term or otherwise, at a time when the Senate shall not be in session, the Governor shall within thirty (30) days after the happening of any such vacancy convene the Senate for the purpose of confirming his appointment to fill said vacancy and the transaction of such other executive business as may come before it. Such vacancy shall be filled as aforesaid for the full term.

Appointments to the offices of the State Judiciary shall at all times be subject to all of the following limitations:

First, no more than two of the three Justices of the Supreme Court in office at the same time, shall be of the same major political party, at least one of said Justices shall be of the other major political party;

Second, at any time when the total number of Judges of the Superior Court and Orphans' Court shall be an even number not more than one-half of the members of all such offices shall be of the same political party; and at any time when the number of such offices shall be an odd number, then not more than a bare majority of the members of all such offices shall be of the same major political party, the remaining members of such offices shall be of the other major political party.

Third, at any time when the total number of the offices of the three Justices of the Supreme Court, the Judges of the Superior Court and Orphans' Court, the Chancellor and all the Vice-Chancellors shall be an even number, not more than one-half of the members of all such offices shall be of the same major political party; and at any time when the total number of such offices shall be an odd number, then not more than a bare majority of the members of all such offices shall be of the same major political party; the remaining members of the Courts above enumerated shall be of the other major political party.

Fourth, before sending the name of any person to the Senate for confirmation as the appointment of the Governor to a vacancy in any Judicial office as aforesaid, the Governor shall, not less than ten (10) days before sending the name of such person to the Senate for confirmation, address a public letter to the President of the Senate informing him that he intends to submit to the Senate for confirmation as an appointment to such vacancy the name of the person he intends to appoint.