OPINION
Dear Friends,
It took long enough, folks, but we have a measure of justice happening in the Delaware Chancery Court. Starting next month, Chancery Court cases will be assigned to a judge in a random “wheelspin” method. This takes away the ability of judges like Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick to cherry-pick cases.
This is a giant step in the right direction and forces McCormick and the Court to play by common sense rules, while creating transparency. Kudos to our Governor, legislators and Citizens for Judicial Fairness for getting this done!
TransPefect, which has been treated awfully by the court over the past decade, had this to say in a Yahoo Finance story: “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.”
Please see the Yahoo Finance story on this below. I’d love to hear what you think about this development, by sharing your feedback, which I always appreciate.
Sincerely Yours,
Judson Bennett–Coastal Network
Citizens for Judicial Fairness Celebrates Introduction of Wheelspin in Delaware’s Chancery Court, a Historic Win for Chancery Reform Advocates
Business Wire
Mon, August 4, 2025
WILMINGTON, Del., August 04, 2025–(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.”