[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3052-S3053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO T. MICHAEL PUTNAM

 Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
Honorable T. Michael Putnam, who is formally stepping down from his 32-
year term as a U.S. magistrate judge, effective on June 7, 2019. Judge 
Putnam served the Northern District of Alabama as a magistrate and 
chief magistrate judge during his many years of service to the court. 
He is the longest serving magistrate judge in the history of the

[[Page S3053]]

Northern District of Alabama, and I certainly commend him for this 
accomplishment. At the time of his appointment, Judge Putnam was the 
youngest magistrate judge in the country at age 32.
  Instrumental in the expansion of the role of magistrate judges, Judge 
Putnam worked to highlight their value in the judicial process. He 
acted as the chair and vice chair of the Northern District's Criminal 
Justice Act Administrative Committee, playing a significant role in 
ensuring the highest quality of representation of indigent criminal 
defendants in the Northern District under the Criminal Justice Act.
  Judge Putnam is widely known for his volunteer work at the Cumberland 
School of Law in Birmingham, AL. He has taught a pretrial practice and 
procedure class since 2006 and directed many trial advocacy and moot 
court programs. The Cumberland School of Law named Judge Putnam the 
2019 recipient of the Friend of the Law School Award in recognition of 
his time and dedication to the betterment of students at Cumberland. 
The Young Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association also 
selected him for the Judge Drayton Nobles James Award in 2016, where 
they honored his spirit of volunteerism.
  As an advocate for the Northern District, Judge Putnam played an 
active role in using technology to improve efficiency. He has been a 
judicial resource for the Office of the Clerk while implementing 
procedural changes to the electronic filing system. Judge Putnam led 
the Court in establishing the eVoucher system, making it easier for 
attorneys and courts to process vouchers for appointed counsel in 
criminal cases.
  Judge Putnam received his bachelor of arts from the University of 
Alabama and his juris doctorate from the University of Alabama School 
of Law. He graduated in the top 5 percent of his class and was a Hugo 
L. Black Scholar.
  Judge Putnam's contributions to Alabama's judicial system are truly 
remarkable and will have an impact for generations to come. I am proud 
to take this time to recognize and thank him for his service to the 
people of our great State and his unwavering commitment to the rule of 
law. I join Judge Putnam's friends, family, and colleagues in wishing 
him the best of luck as he transitions into a new chapter of his 
life.

                          ____________________