Who is Kathleen McCormick?

Kathaleen McCormick is the first female chancellor in the history of the Delaware Court of Chancery. 

Before she joined the Court, she worked as a lawyer and partner at the Delaware-based law firm, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP. Over there, McCormick specialised in setting litigations revolving around internal governance and corporate disputes, most of which were at the Delaware Court of Chancery. 

She graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy before attending the Notre Dame Law School at her alma mater, where she received her ‘Juris Doctor’ which allowed her to pursue law full-time. 

Before she took the position of chancellor on May 6, 2021, she was the Court’s vice chancellor between 2018 and 2021. Her appointment to the vice-chancellorship happened in 2018, after the Governor of Delaware John Carney nominated McCormick and Morgan T. Zurn to the Chancery. Her and Zurn’s appointment increased the total number of judges from five to seven, the first expansion since 1989. 

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After three years, Carney invited to take on the Chancellorship by Governor Carney after the previous Chancellor Andre Bouchard resigned. Following her confirmation by the Delaware Senate, McCormick took office on May 6, beginning a 12-year-long term, the first woman to lead the court which was established in 1972. 

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As the Chancellor, she decides who amongst the Bench will take on a case at the Chancery. However, should there be a conflict of interest between a prosecutor/defendant and a vice chancellor, then the case must be reassigned to one of the other six vice chancellors. 

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Currently, the 42-year-old has set herself up as the presiding judge over the case of Twitter versus Elon Musk. The case was filed by Twitter after Elon Musk pulled out from a $44 billion acquisition deal.