The Delaware State Courts will be closed on Thursday, June 19, 2025 in honor of Juneteenth. Justice of the Peace Court 11 (New Castle County) and Court 7 (Kent County) will remain open 24 hours and Justice of the Peace Court 3 (Sussex County) will be open from 6AM – 12AM (no new cases after 11:00PM).

  1. Delaware Courts
  2. Court of Common Pleas

Judicial Officers


There are nine Judges of the Court of Common Pleas statewide. Five Judges are residents of New Castle County, two Judges are residents of Kent County, and two Judges are residents of Sussex County. Each Judge is nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate for a term of 12 years. To be nominated for the position, each Judge must have been actively engaged in the general practice of law in the State of Delaware for at least five years and must be a citizen of the State. A majority of not more than one Judge may be from the same political party. The same process is used to appoint the Chief Judge.

The Court has three Commissioners; one Commissioner is assigned to each county. The Commissioners have the power to accept pleas and preside over a wide range of court proceedings.


Court of Common Pleas Judges:

Court of Common Pleas Judicial Officers
Left to right back row:  Judge Bradley V. Manning, Judge Rae M. Mims, Judge Thomas Pedersen, Judge Gerard M. Spadaccini
Left to right front row:  Judge Anne E. Hartnett, Judge Katharine L. Mayer, Chief Judge Carl C. Danberg, Judge Monica Horton, Judge Kathleen K. Amalfitano

Court of Common Pleas Commissioners:

Court of Common Pleas Commissioners
Left to right: Commissioner Gregory R. Babowal, Commissioner Donald R. Bucklin, Commissioner Emily Ferrell