Vice-Chancellor Joseph Slights III has announced his retirement.
Slights’ departure is national and even international news because Chancery has remained the leading court in dealing with complex corporate disputes.
The court also handles selected civil areas such as guardianships.
“Vice Chancellor Slights has been a tremendous asset to our court and, indeed, our state; he will be sorely missed,” stated Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick. “He has done us the courtesy of announcing his retirement well in advance of his anticipated end date so that we can ensure an orderly transition. Per the usual process, the timeline for posting his position and selecting and confirming his replacement will be established by Judicial Nominating Commission, the Office of the Governor, and the Senate Assembly.”
Slights III was sworn in as a Vice Chancellor in 2016.
Before his appointment, Vice Chancellor Slights was a partner in the Delaware law firm Morris James LLP where his practice included corporate and business litigation.
Before that, he served a 12-year term as a Judge on the Superior Court of Delaware where, among other assignments, he was instrumental in forming the Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Division.
Longtime Chancery Court critic Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware again demanded that Gov. John Carney appoint a Black Vice-Chancellor.
In recent years, the group has criticized the state’s court system and Chancery in particular for being all white, after the departure of Black vice-chancellor Tamikia Montgomery-Reeves who now serves as a Supreme Court justice. She was succeeded by
“The days of an all-white Chancery Court are over. It’s time for Governor Carney to appoint a person of color immediately,” a spokesman for the group stated.
Citizens was formed during a dispute over TransPerfect’s sale after its 50-50 partners could not agree on a buyout. The legal wrangling has continued with TransPerfect disputing fees paid to a custodian appointed by Chancery Court to oversee the sale.
The group has also criticized retired members of the court for moving to posts at corporate law firms.
