DOVER, Del. (AP) - Gov. Jack Markell has nominated Judge Jan Jurden to become the first female head of Delaware's Superior Court system.
In a statement Monday, Markell praised Jurden's "skill, dedication, and integrity." If confirmed by the Senate, she would succeed James Vaughn as president judge of Superior Court. Vaughn recently became a state Supreme Court justice.
Jurden has been a judge since 2001, following 13 years in private practice. She has overseen the Superior Court's Mental Health Court since its inception in 2008 and also has presided over the Veterans' Treatment Court in New Castle County.
Earlier this year, Jurden was targeted by critics for her handling of a 2008 case in which a du Pont family heir was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to fourth-degree rape of his 3-year-old daughter.
