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The list of candidates to succeed Delaware Chancellor William B. Chandler continues to grow.
Leading the list of contenders identified by Delaware insiders to succeed Chandler is Vice Chancellor Leo E. Strine Jr., the court’s most senior judge. Prior to being appointed to the court in 1998, Strine served as counsel to former Delaware Gov. Thomas R. Carper, now one of Delaware’s two senators, and prior to that as a litigator for Skadden Arps.
Other possible candidates identified in media reports this week include Sam Glasscock III, chancery court master; Delaware Superior Court Judge Mary M. Johnston; and Kevin F. Brady, partner at Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz in Wilmington, Del.
The process of choosing Chandler’s successor got underway on Tuesday when the Delaware Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), chaired by Andre G. Bouchard, managing partner at Bouchard Margules & Friedlander, issued a public notice soliciting candidates. The court is required by the state constitution to be bipartisan and all candidates must be Delaware residents. Candidates must submit a completed questionnaire no later than noon, May 13. They would be interviewed by the JNC which refers all finalists to Gov. Markell who then recommends one candidate to the state Senate for approval.
Writing on his blog, Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog, Francis X. Pileggi notes that “the history of judicial selection supports the conventional wisdom that any vacancy (or vacancies) on the Delaware Court of Chancery will be filled promptly by some person who will be selected by the JNC, appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the Delaware Senate and installed on the court by the end of the regular legislative session on June 30.”
The 60-year-old Chandler notified the Delaware governor he plans to retire to seek opportunities in the private sector. His last day on the court will be June 17.