Gary F. Traynor was formally sworn in for his first term as Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware at 2 p.m. on Monday during a special session of the Supreme Court at the Arts & Science Center auditorium at Delaware Technical Community College’s Owens Campus in Georgetown.
Traynor replaces the Honorable Randy J. Holland, who retired from the bench on March 31.
Chief Justice Leo E Strine, Jr. administered the oath of office as Justice Traynor’s wife Kathleen Andrus and daughter Laura Johnson stood by his side. Traynor’s predecessor, retired Justice Holland, then assisted Justice Traynor in donning his robe.
Remarks were offered by Delaware Gov. John C. Carney, Chief Justice Strine, attorney Kathi A. Karsnitz, Delaware Office of Defense Services Chief Defender J. Brendan O’Neill and former Chief Justice Myron T. Steele.
Before his appointment to Delaware’s highest court, Traynor served for two and 1⁄2 years as an Assistant Public Defender in Sussex County, representing indigent defendants accused of felony crimes. This followed a long career that included managing a large Delaware law firm.
Traynor received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree at the Delaware Law School of Widener University and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1982.
From 1990 to 2014 Traynor worked at Prickett, Jones & Elliott in Wilmington, where he served as the firm’s Managing Director from 2005 to 2007. While at the firm, from 1990 to 2000 Justice Traynor focused on general litigation including criminal defense, personal injury
The focus of Traynor’s law practice changed in 2000 to complex corporate and commercial matters, until he left the firm in 2014.
