31:
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in 1951. Before that, the Court had operated under the
Delaware Constitution of 1897 as a unique "leftover-judge" system, wherein appeals were heard by a panel of three judges who were not involved in the matter on appeal from either the Superior Court or the Court of Chancery. In 1978, the Court's
276:
While the Court's appellate jurisdiction is mandatory, it is not required to hear oral argument. Typically between sixty and seventy-five percent of its decisions are rendered on briefs. If a case involves a novel question of law or the justices desire clarification, oral argument is called. Each
351:
to include the duty of care, often called negligence. Under the general business judgment rule, a
Delaware court will not second-guess the decisions of a board of directors absent a breach of one of three fiduciary duties: good faith, due care, or loyalty. A plaintiff may overcome the business
360:(1985): A board of directors may only try to prevent a take-over where it can be shown that there was a threat to corporate policy and the defensive measure adopted was proportional and reasonable given the nature of the threat.
384:(1993): If a board of directors is about to consider selling, dissolving, or transferring control of a corporation, they are prohibited from considering non-shareholder interests and have a duty to maximize shareholder value.
286:. These cases include cases where a criminal defendant has been sentenced to death, where the three justice panel cannot reach a unanimous decision, or where the Court has been asked to modify or overrule existing precedent.
339:, stating that directors must have "reasonable grounds to believe a danger to corporate policy and effectiveness existed by stock ownership. irectors satisfy their burden by showing good faith and reasonable investigation"
254:
Constitutionally, the Chief
Justice is the chief administrative officer of the entire Delaware judicial system and has the responsibility for securing funding for the courts from the Delaware General Assembly.
352:
judgment rule – and receive a more favorable level of scrutiny under the "entire fairness" standard – if the plaintiff can show that the directors' decision lacked any rational basis (sometimes called waste).
372:
331:(1964): The first time the Delaware Supreme Court addressed problems of board of directors conflict of interest in a takeover setting. In this case, the court applied intermediate scrutiny to the
289:
In cases being heard by a three justice panel, the lawyers presenting argument do not know the identity of the justices hearing the argument until the justices enter the courtroom.
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size was expanded from three to five. Prior to 1897, Delaware's highest court was the Court of Errors & Appeals, which operated under a similar "leftover-judge" system.
892:
1299:
1348:
1358:
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486:
477:, the Supreme Court is subject to a "bare majority" partisanship rule, where no party can control more than three seats on the Supreme Court.
368:(1986): If a company is up for sale, the board of directors has a duty to maximize the value of that sale for the shareholders' benefit.
1193:
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attorney in oral argument is given 20 minutes to present its side, except for capital cases, in which each side is given 30 minutes.
208:. Because it is the only appellate court in the state, its jurisdiction over appeals from final orders is mandatory. However, it has
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Most cases are heard by a panel of three justices. In certain cases set forth in Rule 1 of the Court's Rules, the Court will sit
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Court decisions freely available to the public online, in a consistent format, digitized from the collection of the
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376:(1989): A board of directors may refuse a takeover attempt without submitting the matter to a vote of shareholders.
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over matters concerning the admission and discipline of lawyers, the
Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection,
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710:
703:
462:
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296:, the state capital. Occasionally, the Court will hear arguments in special locations, such as the
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Motions are normally handled in chambers by a motions justice. Arguments on motions are uncommon.
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768:(D) as Associate Justice. Subsequently elevated by Governor John Carney (D) as Chief Justice.
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Arguments are normally held each
Wednesday beginning at 10:00 a.m. in
180:, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of
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421:
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236:
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suit, unless the plaintiff has alleged facts sufficient to overcome
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and serve a term of office of 12 years. Additionally, like all the
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173:
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56:
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briefs were filed on behalf of the anonymous blogger by the
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The Court in its current form was established by means of a
224:
720:
684:
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598:
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845:
416:. This decision has the practical effect of prohibiting
520:
465:, Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the
574:
452:(1995): Directors' power to block hostile takeovers
787:Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog
755:Took office as Chief Justice on November 8, 2019.
1330:
424:designed to quell dissent or unpopular comment.
624:
365:Revlon v. McAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc.
487:List of justices of the Delaware Supreme Court
428:was the first suit of its kind in the nation;
886:
347:(1985): Expanded the modern doctrine of the
840:Supreme Court Internal Operating Procedures
812:Corporations and Other Business Enterprises
239:. In addition, the Court regulates and has
16:Highest court in the U.S. state of Delaware
893:
879:
715:
679:
176:. Because Delaware is a popular haven for
1349:State supreme courts of the United States
491:Composition as of 22 May 2023:
1359:Courts and tribunals established in 1841
373:Mills Acquisition Co. v. Macmillan, Inc.
810:Thomas Lee Hazen and Jerry W. Markham,
449:Unitrin, Inc. v. American General Corp.
184:decisions, particularly in the area of
1331:
874:
35:Seal of the Supreme Court of Delaware
480:
13:
920:Supreme Court of the United States
104:Supreme Court of the United States
14:
1370:
828:
764:Originally appointed by Governor
469:, subject to confirmation by the
461:As outlined by Article IV of the
320:
298:Widener University School of Law
271:
68:
60:
29:
1354:1841 establishments in Delaware
1287:(federal and state, all levels)
300:. The Court has a courtroom in
191:
804:
758:
749:
456:
440:Electronic Frontier Foundation
436:American Civil Liberties Union
1:
797:
200:over direct appeals from the
1248:United States Virgin Islands
714:
678:
258:
249:unauthorized practice of law
7:
1285:Courts of the United States
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400:will not be revealed via a
335:' decision to pay a bidder
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484:
307:
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245:continuing legal education
210:discretionary jurisdiction
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835:Supreme Court of Delaware
406:Internet service provider
304:, but it is rarely used.
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77:
52:
44:
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1238:Northern Mariana Islands
711:N. Christopher Griffiths
463:Constitution of Delaware
389:John Doe No. 1 v. Cahill
357:Unocal v. Mesa Petroleum
314:constitutional amendment
186:mergers and acquisitions
1315:39.743288°N 75.546107°W
902:Highest judicial bodies
404:directed to his or her
1339:Delaware Supreme Court
852:, Harvard Law School,
850:Caselaw Access Project
349:business judgment rule
247:requirements, and the
241:exclusive jurisdiction
198:appellate jurisdiction
196:The Supreme Court has
162:Delaware Supreme Court
24:Delaware Supreme Court
1344:Delaware state courts
1320:39.743288; -75.546107
221:original jurisdiction
92:Delaware Constitution
1228:District of Columbia
931:State supreme courts
904:in the United States
524:Collins J. Seitz Jr.
467:Governor of Delaware
214:interlocutory orders
204:, Family Court, and
145:Collins J. Seitz Jr.
82:Wilmington, Delaware
1311: /
864:Harvard Law Library
792:State supreme court
344:Smith v. Van Gorkom
118:Number of positions
1269:Philippine Islands
782:Courts of Delaware
542:September 14, 1957
509:Party affiliation
475:Courts of Delaware
333:board of directors
212:over appeals from
1294:
1293:
1264:Panama Canal Zone
745:
744:
578:Karen L. Valihura
420:suits or similar
394:anonymous blogger
206:Court of Chancery
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110:Judge term length
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481:Current justices
414:summary judgment
381:Paramount v. QVC
154:November 8, 2019
130:Official website
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66:, United States
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642:August 25, 1956
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471:Delaware Senate
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328:Cheff v. Mathes
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1144:South Carolina
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829:External links
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599:July 25, 2014
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594:(age 61)
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544:(age 67)
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531:Chief Justice
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512:Appointed by
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431:amicus curiae
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321:Notable cases
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766:Jack Markell
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721:May 22, 2023
685:May 11, 2023
649:July 5, 2017
628:Gary Traynor
618:Pennsylvania
612:Jack Markell
592:May 16, 1963
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402:Doe subpoena
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192:Jurisdiction
178:corporations
164:is the sole
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53:Jurisdiction
18:
1318: /
1243:Puerto Rico
1214:Territorial
1054:Mississippi
969:Connecticut
734:John Carney
698:John Carney
662:John Carney
562:John Carney
515:Law school
457:Composition
392:(2005): An
233:prohibition
45:Established
1333:Categories
1306:75°32′46″W
1303:39°44′36″N
1189:Washington
1089:New Mexico
1084:New Jersey
959:California
858:1078785565
846:"Delaware"
798:References
729:Democratic
704:Penn State
693:Democratic
657:Republican
638:1956-08-25
607:Republican
588:1963-05-16
557:Democratic
538:1957-09-14
506:Term ends
422:litigation
410:defamation
398:IP address
302:Wilmington
237:certiorari
99:Appeals to
1199:Wisconsin
1154:Tennessee
1113:Oklahoma
1049:Minnesota
1024:Louisiana
740:Villanova
568:Villanova
337:greenmail
259:Procedure
172:state of
166:appellate
141:Currently
1257:Obsolete
1184:Virginia
1167:criminal
1122:criminal
1094:New York
1069:Nebraska
1059:Missouri
1044:Michigan
1034:Maryland
1019:Kentucky
999:Illinois
974:Delaware
964:Colorado
954:Arkansas
776:See also
668:Delaware
497:Justice
438:and the
229:mandamus
174:Delaware
113:12 years
78:Location
57:Delaware
1204:Wyoming
1179:Vermont
1064:Montana
1004:Indiana
984:Georgia
979:Florida
949:Arizona
939:Alabama
814:(2003)
503:Joined
308:History
283:en banc
264:Motions
126:Website
1158:Texas
1129:Oregon
1074:Nevada
1014:Kansas
989:Hawaii
944:Alaska
856:
818:
426:Cahill
235:, and
1162:civil
1117:civil
1029:Maine
994:Idaho
725:2035
689:2035
653:2029
603:2026
553:2031
500:Born
418:SLAPP
408:in a
294:Dover
225:writs
223:over
151:Since
1233:Guam
1174:Utah
1109:Ohio
1009:Iowa
854:OCLC
816:ISBN
736:(D)
700:(D)
664:(D)
614:(D)
564:(D)
160:The
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