Delaware court taps visiting judges in wake of vacancies

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware is asking four judges from Pennsylvania to help with cases as the court looks to fill two vacancies.

Media outlets report that two of the court’s four judges took senior status — in which judges reduce their caseload but no longer occupy a seat — earlier this year: Judge Sue Robinson and Judge Gregory Sleet.

District Court Chief Judge Leonard Stark has asked four Pennsylvania judges to help with an expected flood of patent litigation.

The expected influx is the result of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in T.C. Heartland v. Kraft Heinz, which stipulates that patent lawsuits must be filed in the defendant’s state of incorporation. More than 1 million business entities are based in Delaware.