WILMINGTON — Delaware Supreme Court Justice James T. Vaughn Jr. announced Tuesday he will retire next year after 25 years of service on the bench.
Justice Vaughn informed Gov. John Carney of his intention to step down from his position as a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court effective May 1, 2023, a news release said.
In his letter to the governor, Justice Vaughn wrote, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve since 1998 as a Superior Court judge and Supreme Court Justice.
“I will always appreciate the memories of working with my colleagues on the bench and with court staff in our efforts to maintain the rule of law in this state. I leave with a sense of satisfaction that I have done my best to discharge the duties of the judicial offices I have held.”
According to Gov. Carney in a statement, "Justice Vaughn has ably served our citizens as President and Resident Judge of the Delaware Superior Court and as a Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. His experience and judgment have been invaluable to his judicial colleagues and members of the bar.
"I want to thank Justice Vaughn and his family for their service to the State of Delaware.”
Justice Vaughn, 73, first joined the bench in 1998 as the resident judge for Kent County Superior Court. He was later elevated to the position of president judge of Superior Court in 2004. Gov. Jack Markell then appointed him to the Supreme Court in October 2014.
“Like his father, Justice Vaughn has served our state and its citizens with great distinction,” said Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr.
“As former Chief Justice Veasey has remarked, Justice Vaughn has a straightforward/no-nonsense approach to the rule of law. The court will miss his hard work, steady hand and unflappable nature.”
Prior to joining the bench, Justice Vaughn spent 22 years as an attorney in private practice in civil and criminal law, first at Vaughn & Vaughn, in 1976, then at Vaughn and Nicholas before joining the firm of Schmittinger and Rodriguez in 1988.
Prior to joining the bench, Justice Vaughn also served as a member of the Clayton Town Council from 1979 to 1989, including three years as president. He was then elected to the Smyrna School Board, serving from 1989 to 1994, including three years as that board’s president.
Justice Vaughn, a U.S. Army veteran and Delaware native, received his B.A. from Duke University, graduating magna cum laude in 1971, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976. He graduated from J.B. Moore High School in Smyrna in 1967.
Justice Vaughn is a member of the Kent County Bar Association, Terry-Carey American Inn of Court (president 2011-2013) and the Randy J. Holland Workers’ Compensation American Inn of Court. He served as a judicial member of the Joint Bar/Bench Committee on Civility and as a member of the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.
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