WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday announced that he will nominate Eliza Hirst to serve as Family Court Judge in New Castle County, and Jessica Markowski-Kelly to serve as Family Court Commissioner in New Castle County. The Governor’s nominations will be submitted to the Delaware State Senate for consideration.

“I want to thank these two qualified nominees for their willingness to serve the children and families of the State of Delaware through our Family Court system,” said Governor Carney. “I’m confident that each has the experience and judgment necessary to serve as part of Delaware’s world-class judiciary. I look forward to the Senate considering these nominations.”

Hirst will be nominated to serve as Family Court Judge in New Castle County.

Hirst is an Assistant Public Defender and Post Disposition Unit Head at the Delaware Office of Defense Services. She provides legal representation to clients on expungements, modifications, pardons, and other post disposition relief. Hirst also is an Adjunct Professor at Widener University’s Delaware Law School. She is a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist from the National Association of Counsel for Children and a certified “Child First” Forensic Child Interviewer. She previously worked as a Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer at Children & Families First, as a Deputy Child Advocate at the Office of the Child Advocate, and as a Staff Attorney for the Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Markowski-Kelly will be nominated for Family Court Commissioner in New Castle County.

Markowski-Kelly is a Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice in the Child Protection Unit, where she represents the Division of Family Services in cases involving dependency and neglect, termination of parental rights, and substantiation matters regarding the Child Protection Registry. She is a member of the Child Protection Accountability Commission’s Drug Ingestion Workgroup. She previously worked as an Assistant Public Defender at the Office of Defense Services, an Associate Attorney at Gonser and Gonser, P.A., as a Law Clerk to The Honorable Janell S. Ostroski in the Family Court of Delaware, as a Fellow in the Domestic Violence Research and Advocacy Fellowship, as a Certified Legal Intern at the Delaware Civil Clinic, and as an Intern working with domestic violence offenders at Delaware Probation and Parole. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Widener University’s Delaware Law School.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday announced the following judicial nominations, which must be confirmed by the Delaware Senate:

“I want to thank these two qualified nominees for their willingness to serve the people of the State of Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “I’m confident that each has the experience and judgment necessary to serve as part of Delaware’s world-class judiciary. I look forward to the Senate considering these nominations.”

Nathan A. Cook will be nominated to serve as Vice Chancellor of the Court of Chancery. Cook has been litigating before the Court of Chancery for 16 years – initially at Abrams and Laster, and later at two different firms, Grant & Eisenhofer and Block & Leviton. He is currently the Managing Partner at the Delaware office of Block & Leviton. Cook received his undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of Virginia, and he clerked for Vice Chancellor Noble on the Court of Chancery.

Kelly Hicks Sheridan will be nominated to serve as a Commissioner for the Family Court in New Castle County. Sheridan currently serves as the Assistant Unit Head for the Juvenile Delinquency and Truancy Unit within the Delaware Department of Justice. Sheridan has worked at the Department of Justice for eight years, joining the Department after clerking for the Family Court under Chief Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn. Her eight years of practice have focused entirely on issues that come before the Family Court. Sheridan is a graduate of Kutztown University undergraduate and Widener Law School.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday announced that he will nominate Patricia A. Winston to serve as a judge on the Superior Court in New Castle County. 

The Delaware Senate is expected to consider her nomination next month. 

“Patricia has the experience and good judgment necessary to serve on the Superior Court,” said Governor Carney. “I know she will serve our state well and look forward to the Senate considering her nomination.” 

Winston has been a partner at Morris James in Wilmington since 2017, where her practice focuses on a broad range of complex corporate and commercial disputes. Her litigation practice has included breach of contract cases, fraud disputes, stockholder litigation, and business dissolutions. 

Winston was an associate at Morris James from 2008-2016. A University of Delaware graduate, she graduated from the Widener University School of Law, now the Delaware Law School, in 2008. 

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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday nominated Gregory R. Babowal to serve as Commissioner of the Court of Common Pleas in Kent County. 

Currently, the Court of Common Pleas has two Commissioners. Commissioner Emily Ferrell is assigned to New Castle County, and Commissioner Donald R. Bucklin is assigned to Kent and Sussex counties. Babowal was nominated to a new commissioner position that will be assigned to Kent County. Commissioner Bucklin will focus upon Sussex County.

Babowal’s nomination must be confirmed by the Delaware Senate.

“Greg’s a hardworking prosecutor with the right experience to serve as Commissioner of the Court of Common Pleas in Kent County,” said Governor Carney. “I am pleased to submit his nomination to the Delaware Senate for confirmation, and look forward to the Senate’s vote.”

For more than twenty years, Babowal has worked in the Delaware Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General.  Babowal’s experience includes prosecuting murder cases, violent felony cases, and felony drug cases. Babowal also has experience in private practice as a civil litigator with Tybout, Redfearn and Pell.

Babowal has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington University, Delaware State University, Wesley College, and Delaware Technical Community College. 

Babowal graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and earned his law degree from Widener University School of Law.

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DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney issued the following statement on the Delaware Senate voting to confirm judicial nominations on Wednesday:

“I want to thank members of the Delaware Senate for their careful consideration of our nominees,” said Governor Carney. “I’m confident that each has the good judgment and experience necessary to serve on Delaware’s world-class judiciary with distinction. Thank you to all the nominees for their willingness to serve.”

The following nominations were confirmed on Wednesday:

Martin O’Connor was confirmed to serve as a Superior Court Commissioner in New Castle County. O’Connor has served as a Deputy Attorney General since 1998. During his time at the Delaware Department of Justice (DOJ), O’Connor has served as a Criminal Division prosecutor, as well as serving in the Criminal Division Appellate Unit, Medicaid Fraud Unit, and in the Civil Division.

Theresa Hayes was confirmed to serve as a Judge on the Family Court in Sussex County. Hayes has been a Family Court practitioner since 1996. She practices at the Office of Edward C. Gill P.A. in Georgetown, where she represents clients on all aspects of Family law. Previously, she served as a law clerk from 1994-1996 to the Honorable Battle R. Robinson and the Honorable Kenneth M. Millman on the Family Court in Sussex County.

Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster was reappointed to serve as a Vice Chancellor on the Delaware Court of Chancery, where he has served since 2009. Previously, Vice Chancellor Laster was a founding partner of the corporate law firm Abrams & Laster LLP, and a director in the Corporate Department at Richards, Layton & Finger.

Earl MacFarlane was confirmed as Justice of the Peace for New Castle County.

Kristine Kellenbenz was confirmed as Justice of the Peace for Sussex County.

Taylor Oliphant was confirmed as Alderman of the Town of Laurel.

The Hon. Theodore Becker was confirmed to the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Earl Jeter was confirmed to the Lottery Commission.

William Tobin was confirmed to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Monica Alvarez and Kim Warfield, Ph.D. were confirmed to the State Board of Elections.

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