The Delaware Senate on Wednesday confirmed Morgan T. Zurn and Kathaleen S. McCormick to serve as vice chancellors on the Court of Chancery, officially expanding the court's ranks from five judges to seven.

Zurn, who served for more than two years as a master in Chancery, and McCormick, a former equity partner and corporate litigator with Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, were unanimously approved by a vote of the full Senate at a special session of the General Assembly in Dover. They now join Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to form a court with an unprecedented three women.

Four men will sit alongside them on the expanded court, the preferred venue for corporate litigation for most of the Fortune 500.

Zurn joined the Chancery Court as a master in 2016, mostly handling disputes involving guardianships, trust and estates. With her confirmation, she becomes the second member of the current court to be promoted from that position to the role of vice chancellor. A former state prosecutor, Zurn has also clerked for U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews of the District of Delaware.

Zurn told members of the Senate Executive Committee ahead of Wednesday's vote that her time clerking for Andrews inspired her to pursue a career on the Chancery Court, where she said she had earned a reputation as a “fair and thorough judicial officer.” Zurn said she would apply that experience in her new role on the bench, where the issues are “more complex, and the stakes are higher.

“I cannot think of any higher or better way to use my talents than to serve as vice chancellor on the Court of Chancery,” she said. “It is the crown jewel of our state.”

McCormick, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, began her career as an attorney for the Community Legal Aid Society Inc., where she represented victims of domestic abuse and housing discrimination. She said she switched to private practice in order to support her growing family, but found a “passion” for litigating corporate cases in the Chancery Court with Young Conaway.

“It's been an extremely rewarding career. I find the subject matter inherently interesting,” she said.

Young Conaway chairman James L. Patton Jr. said the firm could “could not be prouder of Katie as she assumes this new role.”

“She is extremely deserving and well qualified to serve in such a distinguished judicial position,” Patton said in an emailed statement. “Her dedication to the legal profession and deep understanding of the law will serve our state judicial system well.”

Sen. Stephanie L. Hansen, a Democrat who works as counsel at Young Conaway, said she had full confidence in McCormick, but did not vote to avoid the appearance of a conflict.

McCormick was approved on a vote of 20-0, and Zurn was confirmed with the support of all 21 senators.

Zurn and McCormick, Gov. John Carney's first Chancery Court nominees, will fill two new seats created in last year's budget process. Both residents of New Castle County, they are expected to work out of the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington.

There was no date yet set for a formal swearing-in ceremony, a court spokesman said.

The confirmation of Zurn and McCormick comes at a time of significant change in the composition and structure of the 226-year old Delaware institution, and their selection brings a new gender balance to the court.

On Wednesday, Sen. Gregory F. Lavelle, a Republican and member of the executive committee, acknowledged those changes Wednesday when addressing McCormick, following her testimony.

“To have the opportunity to put two new vice chancellors on is a great opportunity and honor for the state,” he said. “The fact that we're putting two women on is also a great honor.”