[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 46 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO JON D. LEVY

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
outstanding career of Chief Judge Jon D. Levy of Portland, ME, and 
congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement from the judiciary. Jon 
is retiring after nearly three decades of service on both Maine's State 
and Federal courts. I have had the privilege of knowing Jon since my 
time as Governor and his dedication and outstanding service on the 
bench has continued to impress me over the years.
  Jon was born in New York and attended Syracuse University before 
pursuing his study of law at West Virginia University College of Law. 
After earning his JD, Jon worked as a law clerk for the U.S. District 
Court, Southern District of West Virginia, and as special monitor for 
the Southern District of Texas. In 1982, Jon and his wife--in search of 
coastline--came to Maine and ultimately settled in York, where Jon 
practiced family law until 1995.
  In 1995, Jon first came to my attention as an outstanding legal 
practitioner, and he was one of my first judicial appointments as 
Governor to the Maine District Court. After only a handful of years, 
Jon became chief judge of the Maine District Court, an upward 
trajectory he would repeat throughout his career. In 2002, I appointed 
Jon to the Maine Supreme Court as an associate justice, becoming the 
first in Maine's history to go directly from the district court to the 
supreme court without prior service on the superior court. A remarkable 
feat, but one that Jon deserved.
  In 2014, President Obama nominated him to the U.S. District Court for 
the District of Maine, and he was confirmed with over three-quarters of 
the Senate's support. Jon served with distinction and always with the 
utmost respect and dedication to the institution. He retires in May as 
our chief judge.
  It has been a privilege to know Jon and call him my friend, and I am 
sure he will be dearly missed on the bench. I hope that Jon's 
analytical, decisive intellect and genuine respect for the law will 
inspire others to follow in his footsteps. I wish Jon all the best in 
his next chapter of life and give him my sincerest thanks; he truly is 
a judge's judge, and Maine is lucky to call him one of our own.

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