Legal Quote of the Week: Justice Henry Ridgely Horsey

At the 1984 Superior Court investiture of Henry DuPont Ridgley, who would later go on to become a Delaware Supreme Court Justice as well, Justice Henry Ridgely Horsey passed on to his young relative the “Ten Commandments for a New Judge”:

First and foremost, be kind. Second, be patient. Third, be industrious. Four, be prompt. Five, there is no unimportant case. Six, give the office the prestige and dignity expected of it. Seven, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Eight, be tolerant of appellant courts if and when you are reversed. Nine, don’t leave home or the courthouse without your most precious tool, common sense. Ten, pray for divine guidance.

Justice Horsey served on the Delaware Supreme Court from 1978 until 1994 and passed away at the age of 91 in 2016.

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