-

Citizens for Judicial Fairness Celebrates Introduction of Wheelspin in Delaware’s Chancery Court, a Historic Win for Chancery Reform Advocates

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, following the announcement that Delaware’s Court of Chancery will introduce randomized, automated case assignments – or “wheelspin” – effective September 15, 2015, Citizens for Judicial Fairness released the following statement from TransPerfect Founder Phil Shawe

“For over a decade, TransPerfect has fought for basic fairness in the Chancery Court. Adopting a randomized “wheelspin” method to decide what judge is assigned to a case--and taking that power away from the Chancellor's personal discretion--is a massive win for Delawareans and for all businesses who expect and demand impartiality in court.

“By joining the federal system, in which every court in the country uses randomized case assignment, Delaware's Chancery Court is finally leaving behind backroom deals and stepping into good government policies for the 21st century.

“This change may not fix everything, but it’s a monumental step for Delaware toward a more predictable, transparent, and fair legal system. I’m beyond grateful to Governor Meyer, Speaker Brown, my TransPerfect colleagues, Citizens for Judicial Fairness and all those who help pushed this reform across the finish line.”

Delaware Speaker of the House Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown added the following statement: “Fairness and justice are the guiding principles of our judicial system, but we can’t fully uphold them by standing still. We have to continually look at how innovation and improved systems can move us forward. Bringing wheelspin, or automated randomized case assignments, to our courts will improve their operations and ensure they remain a beacon of fairness."

Citizens for Judicial Fairness


Release Versions

More News From Citizens for Judicial Fairness

Statement from Citizens for Judicial Fairness on the Retirement of Justice Karen L. Valihura

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens for Judicial Fairness recognizes the announced retirement of Justice Karen L. Valihura as a significant moment for Delaware’s judiciary. Justice Valihura earned widespread respect for her principled commitment to statutory interpretation, judicial restraint, and respect for the limits of judicial authority. Throughout her tenure, she emphasized that courts must apply the law as written and avoid substituting judicial judgment for lawful business and s...

Citizens for Judicial Fairness Slams Outrageous Attorney Fees Awarded in Delaware Following Comprehensive New Study

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for Judicial Fairness condemned the Delaware Court of Chancery’s outrageous attorney fee rewards following a new academic study that exposes how fees are spiraling out of control and disconnected from any meaningful measure of risk or performance. The study from three law school professors reveals that Chancery fee awards lack consistent benchmarks and routinely overreward a small group of insider law firms, including cases where judges approve...

Citizens for Judicial Fairness Slams Excessive Delaware Chancery Fees Following New Stanford Report

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens for Judicial Fairness today responded to a new Stanford study from renowned professor Joseph Grundfest that shows Delaware’s Chancery Court has become a national outlier in awarding excessive legal fees. The report, which analyzed thousands of cases, found that Delaware hands out attorney fee multipliers at a rate up to 57 times higher than federal courts – with some attorneys being paid as much as $35,000 an hour. The findings were highlighted in The...
Back to Newsroom