Brooklyn Judge Ann Pfau honored alongside former U.S. Attorney

May 15, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NEW YORK — A Brooklyn judge and a former U.S. Attorney were honored this week by the Fund for Modern Courts.

Milton L. Williams, Jr., the chair of the Fund for Modern Courts, honored Mary Jo White, partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with the 2012 John J. McCloy Memorial Award, which recognizes lawyers who have made outstanding contributions to improving the administration of justice in New York State.

In addition, Modern Courts presented its Career Public Service Award to the Hon. Ann T. Pfau, a Brooklyn judge and the statewide coordinating judge for the Unified Court System’s Medical Malpractice Program. She also served as the state’s chief administrative judge from May 2007 through 2011.

Both awards were presented at a reception on Monday at the Bryant Park Grill in Midtown Manhattan. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman presented the McCloy Award, and former Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye presented the Career Public Service Award.

“Mary Jo White has been a longtime supporter of judicial reform and has made invaluable contributions to the fair, effective, and independent administration of justice in New York state,” Williams said. “Judge Pfau, as chief administrative judge and in her other judicial positions, has devoted her career to public service and has inspired so many others to work for the improvement of the administration of justice in New York state.”

The John J. McCloy Memorial Award is named in honor of John J. McCloy, who served as chair of the Fund and Committee for Modern Courts from 1961 to 1978, in recognition of his exceptional record of public service. Previous recipients of the McCloy Award are Daniel R. Alonso, Hon. Joseph W. Bellacosa, Sheila L. Birnbaum, Hon. Hugh L. Carey, Carey R. Dunne, Dean John D. Feerick, Hon. Hugh R. Jones, Jr., Robert M. Kaufman, Hon. Edward I. Koch, Victor A. Kovner, Robert D. Joffe, Robert MacCrate, Bernard W. Nussbaum, Bettina B. Plevan, Roy L. Reardon, Fern Schair, Samuel W. Seymour, Hon. Cyrus R. Vance and Stephen P. Younger.

The Career Public Service Award is presented to an individual who throughout his or her lifetime has demonstrated a commitment, through service in government, to the pursuit of justice, fairness, inclusiveness and equal opportunity in the judicial system of New York State. Previous honorees include: Hon. Richard A. Brown, Hon. Zachary W. Carter, Hon. John R. Dunne, Hon. Judith S. Kaye and Hon. George Bundy Smith.

Founded in 1955, Modern Courts is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, statewide organization dedicated to improving the courts in New York state through advocacy, public education and in-court programming.