While friends praised U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion on Friday, he saved his kindest words for his mother just after she draped the black judicial robe on him and took a seat in the front row.
"To me, you're my hero and you will always be," he told his mother, Dorothy, 88, during remarks at an investiture ceremony that celebrated his recent rise to the federal bench in Scranton.
"She brought me up by herself, God bless her," the judge said in a courtroom filled with supporters and local dignitaries.
Judge Mannion's appointment by President Barack Obama and subsequent U.S. Senate confirmation in December put an end to long-standing judicial vacancies in the Middle District, a federal legal jurisdiction handling criminal and civil affairs and stretching from Williamsburg to Harrisburg.
The Scranton Prep and University of Scranton grad from Scott Twp. was nominated for the post by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican. He joins Bradford County attorney Matthew W. Brann, another bipartisan judicial appointment by the senators, as the latest additions to the court.
Before the appointment, Judge Mannion was a U.S. magistrate at the federal courthouse in Wilkes-Barre for several years after working as an assistant U.S. attorney.
While he has been taking cases as a federal judge since he assumed duties on Dec. 28, the investiture served to formally recognize his elevation to the bench.
Several dignitaries and dozens of members of the local law enforcement and legal community attended Friday's ceremony including U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith, Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola, U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-10, Lycoming Twp., Lackawanna County judges Thomas Munley, Terrence R. Nealon and Margaret Bisignani Moyle, 3rd U.S. Circuit Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie, along with several district court justices.
In his remarks, Judge Mannion joked that the vetting process to consider whether he should be nominated was so thorough that they even knew his shoe size.
"As crazy as it sounds, I'm here thanking the President of the United States," he said.
While colleagues and friends spoke of his astute mind, judgment of character and an unquestionable love of family, his son Jason offered another side of the newest judge.
While enjoying pushing himself to the limits whether in the arena of law or caring for his wife and children, the judge has a fondness of driving his vehicles farther than most would dare consider, well over 200,000 miles.
"This is a huge accomplishment in his life," said Jason Mannion, a medical school student who drew much laughter during remarks about his father's career and the impact he has had in his life. "Most people might be embarrassed to drive a 200,000 -mile Mazda Protege."
Contact the writer: smcconnell@ timesshamrock.com, @smcconnellTT on Twitter