Randy James Holland (January 27, 1947 – March 15, 2022) was a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. He was appointed to that office in 1986 and was the youngest person to serve on the Delaware Supreme Court. He retired from the Court in 2017. His seat was taken by Justice Gary Traynor.
Early life and education
Randy James Holland was born on January 27, 1947, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the oldest child of James Holland and Virginia Holland. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Milford, Delaware. Holland attended Milford High School, where he was quarterback and captain of the football team and a catcher on the baseball team. While in high school, he met his future wife, Ilona E. Holland.
Holland attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Swarthmore in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude, and he received the Loughlin Award for legal ethics. Holland received a Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia Law School.
Legal career
Prior to his appointment and confirmation to the Delaware Supreme Court in 1986, he was a partner at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell in Georgetown, Delaware. Holland was appointed to the court in 1986 by Governor Mike Castle, making him the youngest person to serve as a Delaware Supreme Court justice. In 2009, he became the longest-serving justice in Delaware history. Two years later, Holland was reappointed by former Governor Jack A. Markell and was unanimously confirmed by the Delaware Senate for an unprecedented third 12-year term. While on the court, Holland wrote more than 700 reported opinions, which include many seminal corporate law decisions.
Holland announced in February 2017 that he would retire at the end of March 2017. His final term was set to expire on March 23, 2023. After retiring from the Delaware Supreme Court, Holland joined the law firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he was Senior counsel in the Wilmington, Delaware office.
During his legal career Holland was a member of many different organizations such as;
National President and Trustee of the American Inns of Court Foundation
Co-chair National Advisory Committee to the American Judicature Society's Center for Judicial Ethics American Law Institute American Judicature Society Board of Directors Delaware State Bar Association American Bar Association Appellate Judges Conference Executive Committee National Joint Committee Chair on Lawyer Regulation. Presidential Commission on Fair and Impartial Courts Standing Committee on Client Protection Judicial Division's Ethics and Professionalism Committee
Books and publications
Holland wrote, co-authored, or edited the following books:
Magna Carta: Muse & Mentor (2014) Delaware's Destiny Determined By Lewes (2013) Delaware Corporation Law, Selected Cases (2011 Chinese (Taiwan) only) State Constitutional Law, the Modern Experience, co-author (West 2010) Middle Temple Lawyers and the American Revolution, co-author (Thomson-West 2007) Appellate Practice and Procedure, co-author (West 2005) The Delaware Constitution: A Reference Guide (Greenwood Press 2002 Delaware Supreme Court: Golden Anniversary (2001), co-editor The Delaware Constitution of 1897 - The First One Hundred Years, co-editor (1997).
He has also published several law review articles, primarily dealing with judicial ethics and legal history.
In 2009, Holland co-authored a law school casebook from the perspective of all 50 states entitled State Constitutional Law: The Modern Experience. In 2010, with Holland's encouragement, the Conference of Chief Justices passed a unanimous resolution recommending that all law schools offer courses on state constitutions.