Jurden becomes first female president of Superior Court

WILMINGTON – Jan R. Jurden became the first female president of the Delaware Superior Court when she was sworn in on Monday afternoon.

The oath was administered to Jurden by Susan Del Pesco, the state's first female Superior Court judge, in front of a packed courtroom in the New Castle County Courthouse.

In a nod to the significance of being the first woman to lead the courts, Jurden spoke about her mother, who died in 2010.

"She graduated from college in 1949 when there were basically two career paths for women – teaching, nursing or homemaking," Jurden said. "How happy it would have made her to be here today to see her daughter had no such limits placed on her."

Jurden, who has been on the bench since May 2001, will fill the vacancy left by Justice James Vaughn Jr. when he became a member of the state's Supreme Court in October. She will be paid $191,360.

As president judge, Jurden will act as head of the courts, overseeing the state's 21 judges in three counties and setting policies and rules. She will also continue to preside over civil and criminal trials.

Jurden was nominated by Gov. Jack Markell in December. She was then confirmed by the state Senate in a 19-2 vote shortly thereafter.

At least one of the dissenting votes arose from Jurden's handling of a 2008 case involving a du Pont heir. The News Journal reported last year that Jurden sentenced Robert Richards IV to probation after he pleaded guilty to raping his 3-year-old daughter.

Jurden has never publicly spoken about the sentence, citing judicial ethics that prevent her from doing so.

During Monday's hour long ceremony, Jurden said as president judge she wants to ensure everyone is receiving equal access to justice in Superior Court.

"Rest assured that as president judge I along with my colleagues will follow the rule of law and work hard to ensure all who enter these hallowed halls will receive not only substantive justice but procedural fairness," she said.

Markell, who attended Monday's ceremony, praised Jurden for the work she has already done in the state.

She was a partner at Young, Conway, Stargatt & Taylor in the 1990s where she focused on corporate, commercial and personal injury litigation.

While on the bench, she has overseen the Superior Court's Mental Health Court since its inception in 2008 and the Conflict Attorney Program from 2006 to 2008. Jurden, a U.S. Army veteran, also presided over the Veterans' Treatment Court in New Castle County.

"The initiative (the mental health court) is a reminder that strengthening our justice system doesn't mean putting more offenders in prison," Markell said. "Too often over the years that has been our solution for Delawareans with mental health and substance abuse problems. Many of these individuals need treatment more than they need a prison card."

On Monday, Jurden read the oath of office while her children, Caroline, Jordan and Jared, held the Bible. She was then helped into her black robe by her spouse, Cheryl Siskin.

Contact Jessica Masulli Reyes at 302-463-3338, jmreyes@delawareonline.com or Twitter @JessicaMasulli .