Ilona, Ethan, Jennifer, Rori, Chloe, members of the Holland family, and distinguished guests:

Today we say goodbye to one of Delaware’s greatest public servants. We will long remember Justice Randy Holland as an exceptional lawyer; teacher; scholar; author; trusted advisor to national and international legal organizations; a distinguished jurist who served over 30 years on the Delaware Supreme Court with four Chief Justices; he penned over 700 reported opinions and thousands of unreported decisions; he was the recipient of countless awards and accolades. Justice Holland rubbed elbows with US Supreme Court Justices and dignitaries from around the world.

But many here today knew Randy from another side of his rich life: Husband. Father. Brother. Grandy. Colleague. Right before I joined the Supreme Court in 2015, I received one of Randy’s trademark notes, written in blue felt tip pen, congratulating me on my confirmation and welcoming me to the Court. For two years I came to know Randy as a colleague, a mentor, and a friend. It is not easy to get 5 Justices to agree on the weighty issues that confront the Supreme Court. But when it came to decision time, Randy brought to bear his 30 years of Supreme Court experience, keen intellect, and genuine good nature. He knew how to build consensus. He was also a good listener, which brought added weight to his opinion when he did speak. Randy was a model judge. It was a joy to have joined him in his last years as a Supreme Court Justice. I know my colleagues feel the same way.

Before we start the program, I wanted to say thank you to Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University. The University has graciously hosted us for this event and gone above and beyond to make sure it runs smoothly. I’d also like to single out Gayle Lafferty, our State Court Administrator and former Holland law clerk. Despite her backbreaking work as Court Administrator, she has worked tirelessly with the Holland family to bring this event together. Thank you Gayle.
We will sequence the event without introductions in the order in your program. Our first speaker is Governor John Carney.

The Honorable Collins J. Seitz, Jr. was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware on November 8, 2019. He previously served as a Justice of the Supreme Court from April 2015 to November 2019. Prior to his appointment, Chief Justice Seitz was a founding partner of Seitz Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP. Before founding Seitz Ross, Chief Justice Seitz was a partner of Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP in Wilmington Delaware.

A member of the Delaware Bar since 1983, Chief Justice Seitz served as a board member and chair of the Board of Bar Examiners, and a board member of the Board on Professional Responsibility. Both federal and state courts often appointed Chief Justice Seitz as a Master and Trustee to oversee complex corporate, commercial and intellectual property cases. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Chief Justice Seitz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and his law degree from the Villanova University School of Law.