Delaware Chancery Drops ‘Master’ Title Over Slavery Associations

Judicial officers appointed to help manage the Delaware Court of Chancery’s caseload involving trusts, estates, and guardianships have new job titles.

Such officers have been known as “Masters in Chancery” since the 1980s. Now they’ll be known as “Magistrates in Chancery.”

The former title “carries negative connotations for many Delawareans due to the use of the word ‘master’ and its connection to slavery,” according to a statement from the court on Wednesday.

While the previous title “has no link to that historical context,” the court proposed making a change to “a suitable and modern substitute title,” the statement said. ...