On Monday, May 20 retired U.S. Federal Magistrate Judge Timothy P. Greeley was honored during an official portrait unveiling recognizing his retirement. When Greeley applied for the magistrate judge position in 1988 he was only 33 years old and he became the youngest federal judge in the United States at the time. He was the first resident federal judge in the region, going on to serve in that position for over 30 years.

“He was the face of the federal judiciary here and he fulfilled that responsibility admirably,” said the Hon. R. Allan Edgar, who served as a senior U.S. district judge in the area during the 2000s and worked closely with Greeley for about a decade. Edgar was just one of many speakers who spoke highly about Greeley at the ceremony on Monday.

All the speakers had very positive comments about the time Greeley served as judge. The common theme was that he will truly be missed and his legacy of service and justice will live on in the future.

Many also spoke about Greeley’s significant contribution to the court and the growth of the federal presence in the Upper Peninsula over the years. One example speakers gave was the major construction project at the Marquette Federal Courthouse along West Washington Street, as Greeley put in many hours to help make the project a reality over the past decades.

We wanted to add our voice of appreciation for the excellent job that Greeley did during his 31 years of service. Greeley was known for his kindness, generosity and ability to bring people together. We heard those comments about Greeley throughout his tenure as judge and it is appropriate that they were repeated during the portrait unveiling ceremony on Monday.

Although Judge Greeley said he does not have any specific plans for retirement, we are sure his family is looking forward to being able to spend more time with him. We wish him a happy and healthy retirement and we thank him for his service to our area. His legacy will live on and the area of the Upper Peninsula he served is a better place because of his dedicated service.