This article is in the news archives --- for current news go to the Third Branch News.
Two Decades of Service to Judiciary Honored
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), a long-time friend of the
Judiciary, congratulates Leonidas Ralph Mecham on a lifetime of service. Mecham
marked his last day as Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
on June 30, 2006. His contributions to the Judiciary, and in particular to the
AO, were recognized with tributes from Hatch; the former chair of the Executive
Committee, Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges; and staff of the AO. Mecham was presented
with multiple scrapbooks filled with congratulatory letters from federal judges
and colleagues, photos of himself with all three of the Chief Justices under
whom he has served, and a photo album documenting his years at the AO.
On behalf of the American Judicature Society, Dennis C.
Hayes presented Mecham with the AJS Distinguished Service Award. The award was
created to “recognize significant contributions
to the administration of
justice and is reserved for those committed and concerned citizens
who are
willing to work long and hard at a usually thankless task to improve the
nation’s courts.”