Superior Court Judge Jan R. Jurden, has been nominated to serve as President Judge of the Delaware Superior Court by Gov. Jack Markell.
If confirmed by the Delaware Senate during its special session on December 16, 2014, Jurden will fill the vacancy left by Justice James Vaughn Jr., who was sworn in as a member of the state’s Supreme Court in October.
“Judge Jurden is an experienced and accomplished jurist who has served with distinction as a member of the Superior Court for more than a decade,” said Gov. Jack Markell. “But more than that, Judge Jurden is a lifelong public servant who has served her country and her state with the utmost skill, dedication, and integrity. If she is confirmed, she will make an outstanding President Judge.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Jurden would become the first woman to hold the position of President Judge of the Delaware Superior Court.
Earlier this year, Jurden was under intense criticism for a sentence of probation and time served for du Pont heir Robert Richards IV, who sexually assaulted his daughter.
The sentence, part of a plea deal with the Attorney General’s Office led by Beau Biden, made national news and revived talk of the justice system in the state favoring the wealthy and powerful.
Richards is also the son of a retired member of a large corporate law firm in the state.
At the time, members of the legal community came to the defense of Jurden. News of the sentence came out in a story over a civil suit filed by the ex-wife of Richards. A settlement was later reached.
Prior to joining the Superior Court, Judge Jurden practiced law at Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor for 13 years. She handled cases in U.S. District Court, the Delaware Supreme Court, the Superior Court, the Court of Chancery, Family Court and the Court of Common Pleas. She was a partner at Young Conaway for five years.
While on the bench, Jurden has overseen the Superior Court’s Mental Health Court since its inception in 2008 and oversaw the Conflict Attorney Program from 2006 through 2008.
Jurden, 53, earned her law degree from the Dickinson School of Law in 1988 and was admitted to the Delaware Bar the same year. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Muhlenberg College in 1985 after attending Brandywine High School, where she received her diploma in 1979.
After graduating from high school, Jurden also served in the U.S. Army overseas as Secretary to the Commander of the 3/7 Air Defense Artillery and Secretary to the Commander of the 69th Air Defense Artillery Group. She was honorably discharged in 1982.
