Bill Text: DE SCR75 | 2015-2016 | 148th General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: Recognizing The 50th Anniversary Of The Establishment Of The Modern Justice Of The Peace Court Of The State Of Delaware.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-05-05 - Passed in House by Voice Vote [SCR75 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2015-SCR75-Draft.html
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SPONSOR: |
Sen. Blevins& Sen. McBride, on behalf of all Senators & Rep. Schwartzkopf & Rep. Longhurst, on behalf of all Representatives |
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DELAWARE STATE SENATE 148th GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 75 |
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RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MODERN JUSTICE OF THE PEACE COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE. |
WHEREAS, the position of Justice of the Peace is one of the oldest offices in Delaware and can trace its lineage back in time through four Delaware Constitutions and through both English and Dutch colonial periods; and
WHEREAS, beginning with three pieces of legislation enacted in 1965 during the 123rd General Assembly under the leadership of Governor Charles Terry, Jr., himself a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware, the Justice of the Peace Court system was reformed, bringing professionalism, increased standards, and greater accountability to the office; and
WHEREAS, the actions taken in 1965, beginning with House Bill 107 as amended by House Amendment No. 1, of which the prime sponsor was then-House Majority Leader M. Martin Isaacs of Georgetown, with Representatives Maurice Fitzharris, Harry S. Wilson, Vincent Bifferato, T. Lee Bartleson, William H. Phillips, Melvin Slawik, Mary E. Gooding, Jacob W. Zimmerman, David S. Benson, and William E. Alsip, as co-sponsors, set the groundwork for the current Justice of the Peace Court to be established, and enhanced and refined over the next five decades; and
WHEREAS, in a speech made at the time by Governor Terry to a joint session of the General Assembly in support of the legislation, the governor noted that
"your constituents may never enter the Supreme Court room, a Court of Chancery, a Court Room of the Superior Court, [or] the Court of Common Pleas, but the chances are they will enter a court room of a Justice of the Peace.It may be the only court that the average citizen has contact with during his entire lifetime. It may be the only impression a visitor to the State of Delaware obtains of the entire state.Because of this fact, under the present situation…the abuses in the Justice of the Peace system reflect not only on the system but on the entire Judicial structure and the respect of the average citizen for law."; and
WHEREAS, the new Justice of the Peace Court system envisioned by Governor Terry and put into place through his efforts and those of Wilmington attorney Joseph T. Walsh, who drafted the legislation at the governor's request, and others, fulfilled what the governor called "a promise [that] has been made to the people"; and
WHEREAS, ever since the new system was established, it has been the mission of the Justice of the Peace Court to treat all persons with integrity, fairness and respect; and
WHEREAS, the Justice of the Peace Court serves the people of Delaware through efficient and accessible administration of justice for all; and
WHEREAS, the year 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the implementation of the modern Justice of the Peace Court system in Delaware;
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 148th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Justice of the Peace Court of the State of Delaware is hereby recognized on this special occasion of its 50th Anniversary.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members do hereby commend the Justices of the Peace, court administrators and staff, past and present, for their untiring efforts over five decades to treat all those who come before the court in a fair, humane, and equitable manner reflective of the highest traditions of the Delaware judiciary, and express the hope that the court will experience equal success in the years to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Senate Concurrent Resolution, upon its enactment, be presented to the Justice of the Peace Court of the State of Delaware.
SYNOPSIS
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This Senate Concurrent Resolution marks the 50th Anniversary of the modern Justice of the Peace Court of the State of Delaware. |
Author: Senator Blevins
