Delaware Supreme Court Justice James T. Vaughn announced his retirement Tuesday. Vaughn intends to step down from the court in May.
Vaughn joined Delaware's highest court in October 2014, appointed by former Gov. Jack Markell. He previously served as the President Judge of the Superior Court.
Vaughn began his legal career in private practice, joining the bench in 1998 as the resident judge of the Kent County Superior Court. He is the son of former state Senator and Delaware Corrections Commissioner James T. Vaughn Sr.
Gov. John Carney will nominate a replacement for Vaughn; that replacement must be confirmed by the Senate.
Vaughn’s retirement comes in the wake of President Joe Biden nominating Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Reeves’ appointment is still awaiting confirmation in the US Senate.
Both Vaughn and Reeves are Democrats, meaning Carney needs to appoint at least one Democrat to adhere to Delaware’s bare-majority rule, which prohibits any partisan majority of more than one seat on the state Supreme Court. Chief Justice Collin Seitz Jr. will be the only remaining Democrat on the court when Vaugn and Reeves leave.