2009 Distinguished Alumni Award

The Department of Political Science is pleased to announce the recipient of its 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award:

John McKay

As award recipient, Professor McKay will deliver this year’s Political Science Convocation Address.

From 2001 to 2007, John McKay served as United States Attorney for Western Washington. He then joined the faculty of Seattle University School of Law, where he now teaches Constitutional Law of Terrorism and National Security Law. 

Mr. McKay received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Washington in 1978 and his law degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1982. He has been a partner at the Seattle firms Lane Powell and Cairncross & Hempelmann. He has also served as a White House Fellow and as President of the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C. In 1995, the Washington State Bar Association named Professor McKay Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. In 2001, he received the Association’s Award of Merit, and following his controversial dismissal as U.S. Attorney in 2007, its Courageous Award. In 2008, the Legal Foundation of Washington awarded Professor McKay, along with his brother Mike, the Charles A. Goldmark Award for Distinguished Service for his contributions to equal access to justice for all.

A Seattle native, Professor McKay grew up on Capitol Hill and attended St. Joseph’s Grade School and Seattle Prep High School. He is the fifth of the twelve children of the late Dr. John and Katie McKay.