Lawrence Michael McKenna (November 7, 1933 – February 3, 2023) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Education and career

Lawrence Michael McKenna was born in Manhattan and was raised in Douglaston, Queens. graduated from Regis High School, then received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Fordham College Fordham may refer to: Education * Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male, Jesuit high school in New York City * Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York City ** Fordham Rams, athletic teams of the above university ** Fordham Universi ...

in 1956. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Columbia Law School in 1959. He was in private practice of law in New York City from 1959 to 1990, at the firm of

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is an international white shoe law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm specializes in litigation and corporate practices, particularly mergers and acquisitions, with over 1,000 attorneys in 11 offices worl ...

from 1959 to 1969 and at the firm of Wormser, Kiely, Alessandroni, Hyde & McCann from 1969 to 1990.

Federal judicial service

On January 24, 1990, McKenna was nominated by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge

William C. Conner William Curtis Conner (March 27, 1920 – July 9, 2009) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. His rulings during his 35 years of service covered a broad range of issues, incl ...

. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 27, 1990, and received commission on April 30, 1990. He assumed senior status on May 24, 2002. In 2001, McKenna struck down two policing policies introduced by Mayor

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 198 ...

: he ruled that an instance in which the NYPD barred a church from allowing homeless people to sleep there was a violation of the Free Exercise Clause, and stopped the city from requiring a permit for vendors selling art or books in city parks.

Personal life and death

McKenna died under hospice care in Brooklyn on February 3, 2023, at the age of 89.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenna, Lawrence M. 1933 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges Columbia Law School alumni Fordham University alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Lawyers from New York City People from Douglaston–Little Neck, Queens Regis High School (New York City) alumni Simpson Thacher & Bartlett people United States district court judges appointed by George H. W. Bush