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.”