[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2421-S2422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      TRIBUTE TO RANDY J. HOLLAND

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise today, on behalf of Delaware's congressional delegation--Senator 
Chris Coons, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, and myself--to honor 
the exemplary service of Delaware Supreme Court Justice Randy J. 
Holland. His talent and expertise is admired by both Republicans and 
Democrats alike. Justice Holland was the youngest person to serve on 
the Delaware Supreme Court when he was appointed and confirmed by 
Delaware Governor Mike Castle in 1986. I had the honor of reappointing 
him to a second 12-year term when I was Governor of Delaware in 1999. 
Then, in March 2011, he was reappointed again by Governor Markell and 
unanimously confirmed by the Senate for an unprecedented third 12-year 
term. His length on the Delaware Supreme Court--30 years and the 
longest in history--is a result of his broad knowledge of the law and 
of our State and the respect and professionalism he upholds on and off 
the bench.
  Delaware's supreme court has a reputation for handling complex 
disputes in a knowledgeable, reliable, and expedient way. It is no 
doubt that Justice Holland was an integral part of making Delaware's 
highest court one of the

[[Page S2422]]

most respected in the Nation and highly regarded internationally. Over 
the course of three decades, Justice Holland has written more than 700 
opinions and several thousand orders and gained the reputation as an 
expert in Delaware's constitutional law. He has done this all with a 
unique sense of humility and respect for others, something that fellow 
judges and attorneys have and will continue to emulate. He is the 
embodiment of the ``Golden Rule,'' always treating others the way he 
would like to be treated.
  It is perhaps his homegrown knowledge of Delaware and his experience 
as a general practitioner of the law that allowed Justice Holland to 
make his mark in the Supreme Court. He grew up in Milford, DE, and went 
on to graduate from Swarthmore College, University of Pennsylvania Law 
School, and the University of Virginia Law School. Before joining the 
bench at age 39, Justice Holland was a partner at Morris, Nichols, 
Arsht and Tunnell in Georgetown, DE, where he was known for his ability 
to draw clients from all over the State on issues ranging from 
corporate and contract law to zoning and real estate transactions. 
During this time, he had the opportunity to appear before almost every 
judge in every court of the State. It was this wide breadth of 
knowledge that made him an excellent choice for Delaware's supreme 
court, even though he had no judicial experience at all.
  Justice Holland's colleagues describe him as a mentor and a role 
model and have relied on him throughout the years for his institutional 
knowledge of Delaware and the court. This especially came into practice 
during an unprecendeted turnover in the Delaware Supreme Court. That 
turnover allowed Governor Jack Markell to appoint four justices, 
including the chief justice, to the five-officer court. Justice 
Holland's help and guidance to his colleagues throughout this 
transitional time proved vital as they became acclimated to their new 
roles.
  When Justice Holland was not in his role as an officer of the court, 
he was writing. Regarded internationally as an author and historian, 
Justice Holland has written, coauthored, or edited nine books including 
``Delaware Supreme Court Golden Anniversary,'' ``Delaware Constitution 
of 1897,'' ``The First One Hundred Years,'' ``Magna Carta: Muse & 
Mentor,'' ``Delaware's Destiny Determined By Lewes,'' and ``Delaware 
Corporation Law, Selected Cases.'' He has also published several law 
review articles, primarily dealing with judicial ethics and legal 
history.
  Over his three decades on the Delaware Supreme Court, Justice Holland 
has received numerous awards, including the 2014 American Inns of Court 
Powell Award for Professionalism and Ethics, 2012 First State 
Distinguished Service Award, and the 2011 Dwight D. Opperman Award. In 
2004, he was elected to be an Honorable Master of the Bench by 
Lincoln's Inn in London. He was also recognized by members of our 
Nation's highest court--Chief Justices William Rehnquist and John 
Roberts--when they appointed him as the State judge member of the 
Federal Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules.
  On behalf of Senator Coons and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, let me 
express our heartfelt thanks to Justice Holland for his service to our 
State and judicial system. Today we are honored to be able to offer him 
our sincere congratulations on a job well done. It will be quite a 
change not to see him sitting on the second chair in from the left, but 
we look forward to him continuing to share his deep knowledge about the 
history and legacy of Delaware law. From our hearts, we wish him and 
his wife, Ilona, along with their son Ethan and daughter-in-law 
Jennifer and granddaughters Aurora and Chloe, many happy, healthy, and 
successful years to come.

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