The Honorable Randy J. Holland, justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, has been selected as the recipient of the Seventh Annual Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence. Justice Holland was chosen by a three-member panel: Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard, Indiana Supreme Court and last year's AJS Opperman Award recipient; Judge Cara Lee Neville, Hennepin County District Court (MN), and Judge Steve Leben, Kansas Court of Appeals. Chief Justice Shepard, chair of the selection panel, said "Randy Holland is an icon among American lawyers and judges, and the nation is a more decent place because of his commitment to the cause of justice. Justice Holland's career has been a special gift to those of us in the legal profession for whom he has been a genuine inspiration." In his nomination letter, former Delaware Chief Justice E. Norman Veasey said of Justice Holland, "behind his impressive credentials are his true passion for the law, unselfish devotion to fairness, unimpeachable integrity, civility, professionalism, open-mindedness to all situations, and unfaltering work ethic."
Justice Holland was appointed to the Delaware Supreme Court in 1986. Prior to the appointment, he practiced at the firm of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell in Georgetown, Washington, DC.