First African-American nominated for premier corporate court

Delaware Governor Jack Markell nominated the first African-American to the state’s Court of Chancery, one of the country’s premier venues for shareholder disputes.

Markell nominated Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to become vice chancellor, succeeding Donald Parsons, whose term expires on Oct. 22.

Montgomery-Reeves must be confirmed by Delaware’s senate, which will consider her nomination on Oct. 28.

If confirmed, Montgomery-Reeves will be the first woman on the five-judge court since 1994, when Carolyn Berger was elevated to the state’s Supreme Court.

Montgomery-Reeves is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Wilmington, Delaware, where she focuses on corporate governance and corporate litigation. She was part of the Wilson Sonsini team that represented Chevron Corp in a key 2013 case in which the Court of Chancery upheld the use of corporate bylaws to force shareholders to sue in Delaware courts.

“Tamika Montgomery-Reeves has the intellectual ability and strong work ethic necessary to serve on Delaware’s Court of Chancery,” said Markell in a statement. “She also has substantial experience practicing corporate law and clerking for the Court of Chancery.”

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Montgomery-Reeves practiced securities law at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York. She also served as a law clerk for William Chandler, the former chancellor, or chief judge, on the Court of Chancery.

Judges are appointed for 12-year terms on the non-jury Court of Chancery, which is favored by business for its relatively quick proceedings and protections from liability for corporate directors.

If Montgomery-Reeves is confirmed, she will be the fourth judge on the court appointed by Markell, a Democrat in his second term. Markell has also appointed four of the five members of the Delaware Supreme Court, which hears appeals from the Court of Chancery.

Courtesy of Reuters