The New York legal community is mourning the loss of 34-year District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, one of the state's most popular public servants who died last night at age 99. The World War II hero and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who prosecuted some of the nation's highest-profile cases, recently received the McCloy Award of the Fund for Modern Courts. Robert A. Katzmann, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, gave this speech:

It is a singular privilege to present Robert M. Morgenthau with the John J. McCloy Memorial Award of the Fund for Modern Courts, an organization which has contributed greatly to the fair and effective administration of justice. There is no one more deserving of this award than Robert M. Morgenthau who is to me a personal hero, his devotion to public service and to the public good an inspiration. It is no exaggeration to say that there is no one in the history of this nation who has done more over a lifetime to serve the public than he. Indeed, his record of service and accomplishment is staggering: just to offer a few illustrations, he is a decorated, courageous World War II enlistee, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, who saw action in both the Pacific and Mediterranean theaters; he has been a partner at Patterson Belknap & Webb; the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1961-69; the pathbreaking District Attorney of New York County from 1975 to 2009; the guiding light of the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Police Athletic League.

We would be here all night if I were to list the myriad ways that Robert Morgenthau has made a difference as an innovative prosecutor whose approach to law enforcement drastically reduced the crime rate, who pursued crime in the suites, not just in the streets, whose office became the gold standard for any young lawyer who wanted to learn the legal craft, for whom working for the Boss is a cherished badge of distinction—just ask, for example, Sonia Sotomayor or Cyrus Vance, Pierre Leval or Peter Kougasian. He was the model for the DA Adam Schiff in Law and Order because he embodies the qualities of greatness we hope our leaders will have but few meet: a leader who is thoughtful, firm, deliberative, and wise, of unquestioned integrity, who inspires those who work for him, whose fierce loyalty to him reflects his fierce loyalty to them.

The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Robert Morgenthau is not someone who rests on his laurels. Perhaps as impressive as what he achieved in public office, is what he has done since leaving the helm of the DA's office a decade ago. He could have sat back and retired and picked up trophy after trophy for his many achievements. But he didn't and he hasn't. In the city that never sleeps, he continues without pause to serve the public. From his perch at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Robert Morgenthau has continued to play a vital role in issues where his voice is making a difference. At a time when immigrants have been under siege, he has championed the rights of immigrants, as a founding board member of the Immigrant Justice Corps. In a series of op-eds for the New York Daily News, he has spoken truth to power on a wide range of matters relating to immigrant justice. He has been the conscience of all those concerned that justice for all is not just a slogan.  He has spoken on behalf of veterans, on behalf of inmates on death row, in support of pleas for clemency, maintaining his high level of activity with organizations like the Police Athletic League, the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Immigrant Justice Corps.

On a personal note, I have had the privilege of working with Bob Morgenthau to advance the Immigrant Justice Corps, the nation's first fellowship program devoted to recruiting and training immigration lawyers, an organization that in five years has served 50,000 immigrants and their families with a 93% success rate in completed cases. On countless occasions, I have relied on Bob Morgenthau whose impeccable judgment and searing insights have been indispensable to all of us involved. When the phone rings and it is Robert Morgenthau on the line, my day brightens. His ability to analyze a problem, his steely determination to address problems, his persistence, his capacity to think about practical solutions going forward, is unmatched. His mental rolodex is second to none. What a treasure he is; how fortunate we are to have him guiding us, prodding us, inspiring us. In honoring Robert Morgenthau with the John J. McCloy Memorial Award, the Fund for Modern Courts adds luster to that Award. For this opportunity to say a few words about a man I so deeply admire, I am very grateful.