WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, following the news that Delaware Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard will retire at the end of April, five years before his term ends, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) campaign manager Chris Coffey released the following statement:
“Chancellor Bouchard is exactly the reason we have been so strongly advocating for reforms that would bring much-needed transparency to the Chancery Court – at every turn, he has opted for secrecy over transparency and protected the elite Delaware old boys’ club rather than welcoming accountability and diversity. As Chancellor Bouchard’s reign on the Chancery Court comes to an end, we hope the new court will finally embrace the common-sense reforms we’ve proposed to rebuild trust in the judicial system.”
“Though he is a symptom of a systemic issue, he is not the cause, and our fight for transparency and accountability is just getting started. To that end, it is critical that we replace Chancellor Bouchard with a person of color so that Delaware’s courts represent all of its citizens, not just the elite few. Chancellor Bouchard was the tip of the iceberg of a system that needs real reform.”
“That’s why we’re launching a new educational campaign to make sure that Governor Carney nominates diverse candidates to Delaware’s highest courts.”
“As Reverend Al Sharpton has said, the only way to ‘repair the institutional neglect of people of color’ in Delaware’s courts is to ensure that judges come from and represent the communities they serve, not just the elites. In Delaware, that’s clearly not the case, as 56% of the incarcerated population is Black despite Black citizens making up just 23% of the state’s population.”
“As we continue our fight for transparency and accountability, we hope that Governor Carney will make the right decision to restore trust in the Chancery Court by nominating a candidate who will bring a diverse perspective to the court. At the same time, we will not rest until the systemic issues of the court are fixed. We’re optimistic that with Chancellor Bouchard’s retirement, we can achieve a more diverse, fair court for Delawareans to be proud of.”
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.