Gov. Jack Markell (D) is nominating a judicial veteran to fill a hole in Delaware’s Chancery Court.
Markell chose former Superior Court Judge Joseph Slights III Monday to replace Vice Chancellor John Noble when he retires later this month.
Slights served 12-years on Superior Court after then Gov. Tom Carper (D) appointed him to that bench in 2000. During that time, he helped create that court’s complex commercial litigation division.
"The State of Delaware lost a great asset when Judge Slights retired from the Superior Court, and I am very pleased that we will have the opportunity to bring him back into the fold," Markell said in a statement.
For much of his career, Slights worked on commercial litigation in top private law firms in Delaware, including Morris James, to which he returned after leaving Superior Court.
He also oversaw the $123 million Earl Bradley victim settlement, which went to families affected by one of the most prolific pedophiles in American history.
In 2014, Slights applied to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Berger, but Markell chose James T. Vaughn Jr. instead.
"My twelve years as a judge on the Superior Court were some of the best and most satisfying years of my professional life,” said Slights in a statement. “I am grateful to Gov. Markell for the opportunity to rejoin the Delaware judiciary."
State senators will consider his nomination when they return to regular session in March.
