Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Protective Orders topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes bill limiting emergency lethal-violence petitions in Justice of the Peace Court to law enforcement
Summary
Senate Bill 73 clarifies that only law enforcement officers may petition for emergency relief under lethal violence protective order provisions in Justice of the Peace Court; bill passed on a roll call recorded as 21 yes.
Senate Bill 73, described by its sponsor as a clarification to the court process for lethal-violence protective orders, passed the Delaware Senate on April 8.
Sponsor Senator D. Brown said the measure "clarifies that only law enforcement officers may petition for emergency relief in the Justice of the Peace Court," and that the bill was introduced at the request of the Justice of the Peace Court. He also noted that Judge Wood from the J.P. Court was present in the chamber.
Why it matters: the bill narrows who may seek emergency relief under lethal-violence protective-order provisions in Justice of the Peace Court by explicitly limiting petitioning authority to law enforcement officers. The change affects procedures used in urgent protective-order filings handled at the Justice of the Peace level.
Senators conducted a roll call after brief explanation; the assistant secretary recorded the roll call for Senate Bill 73 as 21 yes. The presiding officer declared the bill passed.
No amendments were recorded on the floor and no implementation timeline was specified during the floor discussion. The bill was read in by title and placed on the record before the roll call vote.
Formal action - Senate Bill 73 (Title: "An act to amend Title 10 of the Delaware Code relating to lethal violence protective orders"): Passed on roll call (recorded as 21 yes). Sponsor: Senator Brown. Outcome: approved.
The legislation was advanced without further floor debate; the Senate moved on to consider other measures after the vote.
