[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 136 (Thursday, August 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL F. McKEON

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize city court Judge 
Michael F. McKeon of Auburn, NY, on his retirement from the New York 
bench after 20 years of dedicated and faithful service to his community 
and to his State.
  Judge McKeon was born and raised in Auburn and, save for a few years 
during college and law school, has lived his entire life in this 
vibrant community in the heart of New York State's Finger Lakes region.
  Judge McKeon has dedicated much of his professional life to public 
service. After law school, he clerked for New York State Supreme Court 
Justice Robert White for 7 years, and while in private practice, he 
also served as corporation counsel for the city of Auburn. For 27 
years, McKeon also taught criminal justice courses at Cayuga County 
Community College in Auburn.
  First elected as Auburn's city court judge in November 1998, Judge 
McKeon quickly got to work implementing new and innovative ways of 
administering justice and ensuring that those with behavioral and 
addiction illnesses got access to critical treatment and support to 
help turn their lives around. Under his leadership, Auburn introduced 
one of the first drug treatment courts in New York State. Soon 
thereafter, he founded a behavioral health court for misdemeanor and 
felony offenders.
  McKeon was a very active member of the Nation's drug court community 
and became a sought-after resource for other judges in New York and 
throughout the country looking to introduce drug courts into their 
communities. With evangelists like Judge McKeon demonstrating great 
successes in helping end addiction through diversion and treatment 
programs, Federal funding for drug court programs reached its highest 
levels in fiscal year 2017.
  Judge McKeon was chosen by his peers as president of the New York 
State City Court Judges Association from 2006 to 2008 and vice 
president from 2002 to 2006. He continued his drug court advocacy in 
these leadership roles, helping New York State become one of the 
Nation's leaders in drug court adoption. In 2015, he worked with the 
State legislature to pass the first cost-of-living-adjustment for State 
judges in 13 years. McKeon also served as chair of the Local Codes 
Advisory Committee to the chief judge of the New York State Court of 
Appeals.
  I congratulate Judge McKeon and his family on his well-earned 
retirement, and I thank him for his outstanding service to his beloved 
Auburn.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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