Hon. Patricia Walther Griffin has over 30 years of experience working in the Delaware court system, including as magistrate in the Court of Chancery, state court administrator for the Delaware courts, chief magistrate of the Justice of the Peace Court, and in private practice. Prior to moving to Delaware in 1992, she worked with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C. and served as Assistant Dean for both the University of North Carolina School of Law and the W&L University School of Law.
She has extensive experience in the courtroom, as well as managing court operations, programs, budgets, personnel, and relationships within courts and with legislative and other partners. As Delaware's State Court Administrator, she served as President of the Conference of State Court Administrators and Vice-Chair of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors.
She received the Delaware State Bar Association Outstanding Service to the Courts and Bar Award in 2019 and the National Center for State Courts' Distinguished Service Award in 2012, was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named Person of the Year for the International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention in 2004.
She supports the important work of the Judicial Branch Education Academy in ensuring that judges, administrators and their teams have the necessary tools to advance their courtroom, administrative and case management skills.
On a personal note, Pat is active with the Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding organization, and she and her husband, Jim, live on their Lewes, Delaware horse farm and enjoy riding their horses.