Judge fails to recuse herself, clears path for offshore wind substation

January 17, 2026

Jen Pawloski

Judge fails to recuse herself.

Senate Bill 159 is currently being challenged by the County and Fenwick Island in Delaware Chancery Court. The supposed random case assignment by the Court, has the Chancellor Judge Kathaleen McCormick hearing that case. After Sussex County Council held their hearing, in December of 2024 and voted to block the conditional use permit for the US Wind project to land power cables at a property in Dagsboro, Senate Bill 159 was introduced by Delaware Senator Stephanie Hansen to usurp home rule from Sussex County.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick prior to her appointment to the court by former Governor John Carney (who signed the lease agreement for US Wind to land power cables at Delaware Seashore State Park), worked at the law firm Young Conaway Stargatt and Taylor in Wilmington from 2007 - 2018 and became partner of the firm in 2015. Primary Sponsor of Senate Bill 159, Senator Stephanie Hansen also worked at Young Conaway Stargatt and Taylor from 2005 - 2020. In 2016, Kathaleen McCormick made a political campaign contribution to Stephanie Hansen, under the Friends for Hansen campaign. See the donation to Friends for Hansen campaign made 12/27/16 by Kathaleen McCormick in the photos below.

The judge has a fiduciary duty to disqualify herself from the case brought over SB159 against the state, Governor Matt Meyer, and US Wind subsidiary, Renewable Redevelopment LLC due to conflicts of interest.

The judge ruled on Friday AGAINST the County and Fenwick Island's request for a temporary restraining order, to prohibit the bill and SB199 from taking effect on January 31st. When this happens, the conditional use permit for the US Wind Maryland offshore wind will automatically be issued to the developer for the cable landing at the substation in Dagsboro. This is happening all while multiple cases have been in limbo before the DNREC environmental appeals board and the suit over the project in Maryland district court.

Learn more in the photos attached and about the McCormick's below and their ties to the elites, who have been ruling the country for over a century. Edith Rockefeller, was the youngest daughter of Standard Oil founder, John D. Rockefeller, and she married a McCormick. After the monopoly breakup of Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the "Seven Sisters" grew into many of the current major oil giants including Standard Oil of Ohio, which was ultimately acquired by British Petroleum (BP), who is very much involved in offshore wind development.

Please take the time to review the documents, captions, links in the photos, and share this post to get the word out. We need federal intervention to stop this offshore wind project, because it's not going to come from the state of Delaware or its judicial proceedings.

To view the photos and documents referred to above, go to this facebook page for Protect Delaware Beaches