Chief judge of top Delaware court gets gown makeover; sleeve stripes are reminiscent of Rehnquist
The newly minted chief judge of Delaware’s top court has gotten a gown makeover.
Chief Justice Leo Strine of the state’s Supreme Court now has two gold stripes on each sleeve of his black robe, the News Journal reports. It also features light blue and gold accents, representing the state’s colors, at the neck and bottom of the sleeves.
Made in England, like all Supreme Court and Chancery Court gowns, by a company that has been supplying robes to the British royal family since 1689, Strine’s new attire cost the state $1,826. Robes for other justices cost $1,551, according to court administrator Stephen Taylor, and they are expected to last throughout the judges’ time on the court because of their high quality.
The stripes on Strine’s sleeves look much like those formerly displayed by another well-known jurist, the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court, the newspaper notes. Rehnquist got his idea for the design from a costume worn by the Lord Chancellor in a production of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Iolanthe, the News Journal reported, citing his New York Times obituary.
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