CPBD: Delaware Judicial Nominating System is Rigged and Secretive, Grassroots Organization Launches $450,000 Campaign to Fix it

WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the confirmation of Paul Fioravanti Jr. to serve as Vice Chancellor on the Delaware Court of Chancery, run by Chancellor Andre Bouchard, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) announced today it will be spending at $450,000 as part of a new grassroots and multimedia campaign exposing the secretive process by which judges are selected in the state.  

Despite calls for a racially diverse nominee to the nation's top business court from racial justice advocates, Fioravanti was hastily confirmed by the State Senate just weeks after his appointment by Governor John Carney. Governor Carney chose the former Prickett Jones Partner based on a recommendation by the state's Judicial Nominating Committee.

In a recent interview with WBOC, Governor Carney stated, "I can only appoint individuals who are sent before me by the Judicial Nominating Committee."

However, Delaware law clearly says the Judicial Nominating Commission should be comprised of 11 total members, 10 of which are appointed directly by the Governor. Moreover, state law also makes clear the commission "shall reflect the broad diversity of the citizenry of Delaware." Despite this, though people of color represent nearly 40% of Delaware's population, that group makes up just 15% of the judges who sit on the state's Supreme, Superior, and Chancery Courts, while comprising 62% of the state's incarcerated population.

Said CPBD Campaign Manager Chris Coffey, "The confirmation of Paul Fioravanti Jr. to replace Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves – who became the first African American woman to sit on Delaware's Supreme Court – on the Chancery Court highlighted everything that is wrong with how judges are chosen in this state. It's concerning that Governor Carney blamed of Mr. Fioravanti's appointment on the Judicial Nominating Committee while neglecting to mention that he himself appoints and controls the vast majority of its members.

"Even worse, the public has no idea who sits on this nominating committee nor how it comes to its decisions. We have no idea if the committee 'reflects the broad diversity' of Delaware's residents, no clue who may have applied for the Chancery Court opening, and no way of ever finding out who the committee recommended to the Governor.

"The Judicial Nominating Committee is yet another example of the rigged, secretive nature of a Delaware court system that consistently promotes the interests of an elite few at the expense of Delaware's diverse residents. Is it any surprise that black Delawareans have no confidence in their courts to deliver justice?

"By spending $450,000 on an aggressive multimedia and grassroots effort, we're making good on our promise to upend the status quo. The system has been rigged for far too long. We need transformational reform now."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the issue. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.

Contact: Chris Coffey, [email protected]

SOURCE Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware

Related Links

http://www.delawareforbusiness.org