In the decision styled: In re: Opinion of the Justices,  read online here, the Delaware Supreme Court answered a legal question presented by the Governor of Delaware. This is a well-grounded but seldom used Delaware exception to the general prohibition against advisory opinions. Based on a scholarly analysis of the Delaware Constitution the high court  found that the county was exempt from a residency requirement in the Constitution that applied to some state officials. The opinion is also  a useful guide to statutory construction in general, and for those interested in history, gives some added insight into why Delaware required that certain positions be held by  Delaware residents. When one realizes that Delaware was, once upon a time, part of the "three lower counties" of  the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in pre-colonial times the Governor of Pennsylvania could appoint Pennsylvanians for Delaware public positions, the existing  requirement is more understandably viewed as important at the time that Delaware gained its "independence" from Pennsylvania. In fact, Delaware still celebrates the day it won independence from Pennsylvania and this case is an indication that it is still a key aspect of Delaware politics and public policy.