After serving 30 years on the Delaware’s highest court, Justice Randy Holland is retiring next month.
Holland became the longest serving justice in the history of the Delaware Supreme Court in 2009. Then Gov. Mike Castle (R) nominated him as the youngest state Supreme Court Justice ever in 1986 while he was a partner at Wilmington business law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell.
Former Gov. Jack Markell (D) reappointed him to an unprecedented third 12-year term in 2011.
The 70-year-old Holland says he felt it was time to retire after 30 years on the bench. Now, he says, he can focus on other opportunities like teaching.
Holland’s departure at the end of March also marks a complete reshuffling of the state’s highest court in just three years. Chief Justice Myron T. Steele and Justices Jack Jacobs and Carolyn Berger retired in 2014, with Justice Henry duPont Ridgely joining them in 2015.
Gov. John Carney (D) thanked Justice Holland for his service in a statement Thursday morning.
"Justice Holland has been a model jurist and a steady source of wisdom on Delaware's Supreme Court for more than 30 years. His thoughtfulness and deep knowledge of Delaware history and the Delaware Constitution will be missed," Carney said in his statement.
It’s unclear when Carney will make his selection to replace Holland.