Citizens for Judicial Fairness Celebrates Major Win as Chancellor McCormick Steps Aside From TransPerfect Case, Ending Years of Unchecked Legal Billing
Citizens for Judicial Fairness Celebrates Major Win as Chancellor McCormick Steps Aside From TransPerfect Case, Ending Years of Unchecked Legal Billing
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, grassroots advocacy coalition Citizens for Judicial Fairness claims a major victory for fairness in judicial administration. After facing substantiated allegations of biased judgement and accusations that she intentionally stalled the TransPerfect case for the financial benefit of her allies, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick finally buckled under public pressure and excused herself from the case. While the news is celebrated by TransPerfect workers, it came too late to save the transfer of tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary legal fees to Skadden and other Delaware law firm insiders.
"While we celebrate Chancellor McCormick’s decision to retreat now, her recusal should have come years ago. Any reasonable businessperson must ask why it took nearly a decade and tens of millions of dollars in revolving-door legal fees to reach this point," said Chris Coffey, Campaign Manager for Citizens for Judicial Fairness. He added, "This was an epic waste of judicial resources that allowed court insiders to treat a thriving business as their personal piggy bank.”
As this case moves to a new Vice Chancellor, our expectation goes beyond simply bringing a swift, practical end to this abuse of power. We hope today signals a true turning point toward establishing the real judicial integrity that Chancery has been missing since William Chandler left the bench. During the dark days of the Strine-Bouchard-McCormick era, Chancery operated in the shadows, with a complete lack of transparency and accountability, while judicial officers acted like kingmakers, handing out billing bonanzas to their allies. Our work won't stop until this court returns to the impartial cathedral of law it once was and, rather than kowtowing to an insular ring of insider cronies, returns to serving the people of Delaware.
For Citizens for Judicial Fairness, exposing this pay-for-play culture is part of a broader, community-driven mission to clean up Delaware's Chancery court system. The organization continues to lead the charge for structural court reform, demanding randomized case assignments to prevent manipulation of case outcomes, fighting for transparency in judicial appointments, and funding educational scholarships for the next generation of Delaware’s leaders.
The move caps a tenure marked by the Chancellor’s incompetence, stagnation and intentional misconduct, including illegal public lobbying on SB 21 and blatantly misleading the public by claiming that “unknown hackers,” not she, were responsible for posting anti-Musk sentiments on her social media accounts while she was presiding over his case.
When asked for comment, TransPerfect Founder Phil Shawe said, “The judicial bias TransPerfect faced under Bouchard and McCormick for 13 years is a travesty to anyone who respects the rule of law and American capitalism. We can only hope, for the good of Delaware, that she has discharged herself in anticipation of stepping down as Chancellor. With her short tenure and the exodus of corporations it caused, Ms. McCormick has single-handedly dealt Delaware’s economy the most disastrous blow in history.”
About Citizens for Judicial Fairness
Citizens for Judicial Fairness leverages grassroots pressure, strategic partnerships, and political advocacy to campaign for common-sense solutions to increase transparency and equity in court systems across the country. To learn more about CJF, visit CitizensForJudicialFairness.org.
