SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- Jennifer Donahue has officially been sworn in as a judge on the Sussex County Family Court following her confirmation by the Delaware State Senate, Governor Matt Meyer announced.
“Judge Donahue brings a deep well of experience, compassion, and integrity,” said Gov. Meyer. “Her decades of service to children, families, and survivors of abuse demonstrate her unwavering dedication. Now, as an official member of the Sussex County Family Court bench, her leadership will make a lasting difference for Delaware families.”
Donahue steps into a newly created judgeship, a response to the growing demands on the Sussex County Family Court, which has seen an increased caseload driven by the county’s rapid population growth. A new Sussex County Family Court facility is under construction and expected to be completed by year’s end.
Donahue has built a 24-year legal career focused on family law and child advocacy across Delaware. She most recently served as Deputy Attorney General in the Special Victims Unit at the Delaware Department of Justice.
Earlier in her career, she served as a Deputy Child Advocate and later as an Investigation Coordinator and Child Attorney in the State Office of the Child Advocate. She has worked across civil and criminal family law, including divorce, domestic violence, foster care, and juvenile criminal matters.
She has also served on the Child Protection Accountability Commission and the Child Abuse and Neglect Panel. In 2018, she co-drafted “Aiden’s Law,” a measure aimed at protecting children impacted by substance abuse. In 2017, she received the Muriel E. Gilman Family Advocacy Award for her work supporting young children affected by addiction.
This comes as construction of the new Sussex County Family Court in Georgetown is expected to be completed by fall 2025, with the opening planned for early spring 2026, according to Sean O'Sullivan, chief of community relations for Delaware Courts.