Al Sharpton takes on Delaware courts

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Good afternoon,

Worth reading is Politico’s story on what is described as the  Rev. Al Sharpton’s ‘wild campaign’ to change the Delaware court system.

The lengthy piece lays out at least part of a complicated tale that stems out of the long-running dispute over the sale of TransPerfect and owner Phil Shawe’s unhappiness with now retired Chancellor Andre Bouchard.

Shawe prevailed in the sale but continues to dispute costs related to the custodian who oversaw the deal and bills that go to the  powerful corporate law firm of Skadden Arps. 

A group known as Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, made up of TransPerfect employees and others,  has pressed for more diversity in the court system and a greater degree of transparency in judge selection.

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According to the Politico piece, one goal is for Sharpton to get the attention of President Joe Biden. Sharpton is a Biden ally and a long-time presence on liberal-leaning cable network MSNBC.

Many in the Delaware legal community claim these actions are simply payback from  Shawe. Meanwhile,  TransPerfect, by its own account, is thriving despite costs arising from the sale.

For years, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware has run newspaper and TV advertising to gain the attention of Delaware residents,  Beltway insiders, and more recently  Biden, a long-time reader of the News Journal. 

Citizens’ nine-figure advertising efforts have also included direct mail to Delaware residents who may wonder what all the fuss is about. 

After all, Chancery Court mainly handles out-of-town business cases along with guardianships.

Sharpton and Citizens have their work cut out for them.

Putting pressure on the state’s legal system isn’t easy. Delaware does not elect judges, and no one is agitating for a change on that front.

Shawe allies did some celebrating when Bouchard – the target of relentless attacks by the group and until recently with no way to respond due to judicial ethics restraints – retired. Still, his successor, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, has not changed course.

The Delaware judiciary acknowledges that the state falls short on the diversity front, with the Chief Justice launching a  project to make the bench and bar less white.

Whether any of this results in Biden picking up the phone is open to question. The president has plenty of friends in the legal community, and many are not happy with the relentless attacks on Chancery.

Sharpton is not as much of a polarizing figure as in the past thanks in part to his bully pulpit on the cable network.  Still, he might not be a good fit in a state with a less confrontational brand of politics.

 Biden, meanwhile,  has other fish to fry, including the collapse of  Afghanistan, a situation that keeps him stuck at the White House. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.

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