DELAWARE - Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura will step down from the bench when her term expires in July, informing Gov. Matt Meyer that she does not intend to seek reappointment, according to the State of Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts.
"After a great deal of thought, I have decided that I will not apply for a second term," Valihura wrote. "For me, being a Justice on our State’s Supreme Court has been the highest honor and privilege. And I have the great satisfaction of knowing that I have given ‘my all’ to the call of justice and to the goal of completing my full twelve-year term."
Valihura said in her resignation letter that while she is retiring from the court, she plans to continue her legal career in another capacity. "With God’s grace and willingness," she wrote, she hopes to move into a new phase of public service.
Valihura was appointed to the Delaware Supreme Court by then-Gov. Jack Markell and took office on July 25, 2014, becoming the second woman to serve on the state’s highest court. She is currently the court’s longest-serving member and will remain on the bench until her term ends on July 25, 2026.
In November of 2019, during the brief period between the retirement of Chief Justice Leo E. Strine Jr. and the swearing-in of Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr., Valihura served as interim chief justice. As the court’s senior justice at the time, she became the first woman to hold that position.
Before joining the Supreme Court, Valihura spent 25 years as a corporate litigator at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, serving first as an associate and later as a litigation partner.
During her tenure on the court, Valihura authored opinions across a wide range of legal issues and held several leadership roles, including co-chair of the Access to Justice Commission and co-chair of the Supreme Court’s Law and Technology Commission.
Valihura earned her undergraduate degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1985 and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge Robert E. Cowen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.