The search for the next chief justice of Delaware’s Supreme Court has produced a larger-than-normal pool of applicants and generated some speculation surrounding the state’s most prominent jurists.

According to sources, Delaware Supreme Court Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. was considered to be a leading contender to succeed Leo E. Strine Jr. at the helm of Delaware’s judiciary, sources said this week. However, Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura and Delaware Superior Court President Judge Jan R. Jurden were also rumored to be in the running.