A friend’s recollection of Justice Randy Holland

“Justice Holland was a true public servant.” – Gov. John Carney.

Randy J. Holland: What is the measure of the man? When I think of that question, the word civic comes to mind, as in civic-minded. In ancient Rome, the word was associated with a garland of oak leaves and acorns given to one who put the good of others over his or her own. In a word, that was Justice Holland, the quiet and mild-mannered man who, in his own resolute way, strove to improve the common good.

Tag him jurist, lawyer, scholar and teacher. In all of those respects and others, his mission was the same: To give staying power to a rule of law rooted in equity and equality. On May 5, Justice Holland and I were slated to team-teach a class at the Lewes Public Library. It was designed to provide an inviting and informative overview of the origins and history of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments.   

In this educational journey from the Magna Carta (1215) and Montesquieu (1748) to the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers and well beyond, the aim was to illuminate both the grandeur and defects of the federal and state constitutions – those charters of liberty that define us as a democratic nation. By Justice Holland’s calculus, civic engagement was enriched by civic knowledge, read broadly and inclusively.  

He dedicated his all to give law meaning, a meaning both just and equal. His life record bespeaks of that commitment: 31 years of impressive and informed service on the Delaware Supreme Court; 700 learned judicial opinions; several books on everything from the Magna Carta to the Delaware Constitution; service on numerous ethics committees; recipient of many awards and honors, and, of course, his 25 years of teaching in various capacities. 

Time and again, we discussed another idea, one that we didn’t get the chance to realize. It had to do with a 1952 Delaware Court of Chancery case: Gebhart v. Belton. The case was one of the five combined into the seminal 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. Gebhart was unique in that the state trial court ordered that African-American children be admitted to the state’s segregated whites-only schools. The state supreme court affirmed – a brave and most unusual ruling for the time.

Our plan was to reenact the case before the sitting justices of the Delaware Supreme Court, replete with prominent lawyers arguing the respective sides. Furthermore, there would be statewide “buy in.” Here, the idea was to engage civil rights and civil liberties groups, local libraries and schools, civic and religious groups, and newspaper and media groups to give the month-long event wide attention. In the process, the hope was to shed light on the past while providing an occasion to reflect on the state of racial justice in Delaware today, this as a prelude to taking needed action.  

Even in retirement he endeavored to do all of this and more. That is the measure of the man: Randy Holland, my friend, our justice. Take heed! Learn from his life lessons; learn from his words; and breathe new life into his call for justice and equality under law. If you would honor his memory, do your part to follow his life example.