Former Erie federal judge, known for pizza bomber case, honored as Chancellor of the Bar
A former federal judge received one of the Erie County Bar Association's highest honors at its annual Law Day celebration at the Warner Theatre in downtown Erie on Thursday.
Former U.S. District Court Judge Sean J. McLaughlin received the association's Chancellor of the Bar Award.
It recognizes a Bar Association member who was nominated by his or her peers for significant contributions with respect to their practice, attitude toward the court and fellow lawyers, and participation in civic affairs and community life, according to the association.
McLaughlin presided over the Erie Division of the Pittsburgh-based U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania for 19 years, until he stepped down in 2013 to become vice president and general counsel for Erie Insurance. McLaughlin in 2019 returned to the Erie law firm where he got his start — Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall & Sennett, where he is of counsel.
McLaughlin presided over a number of major cases on the bench. Among the most notable was the Erie pizza bomber case, in which 46-year-old pizza deliveryman Brian Wells was killed when a bomb locked to his neck exploded after he robbed a bank off upper Peach Street in Summit Township on Aug. 28, 2003.
One of the main plotters, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, was convicted at trial in 2010. McLaughlin sentenced her in 2011 to life plus 30 years in federal prison, where she died in 2017.
Others also received Bar Association honors
Pro Bono Award — Erie lawyer Thomas J. Minarcik. The award honors the volunteer efforts of an Erie County Bar Association member who has assisted with the delivery of civil legal services to the poor.
Liberty Bell Award — Antonio Howard, an Erie artist and paralegal for the Federal Public Defender's Office in Pittsburgh, which also represents indigent clients in U.S. District Court in Erie. The award recognizes a local non-lawyer for community service that strengthens the American system of freedom under law.
Diversity & Inclusion Community Award — Erie social justice advocate Gary Horton. He is the president of the Erie branch of the NAACP and runs the Urban Erie Community Development Corp., which includes the E.F. Smith Quality of Life Learning Center.
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin spoke at Warner
The Erie County Bar Association presented its annual awards ahead of the Law Day celebration's keynote event — a presentation by bestselling presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Her eighth book, "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s," was published in April.
The Erie Jefferson Educational Society also hosted the Law Day celebration, which included a program for students.
The theme of this year's Law Day was "Voices of Democracy." The theme "recognizes that in democracies, the people rule," the Bar Association said. "Americans have expressed their political views and wishes by speaking their minds and voting in elections.
"In 2024, the United States will hold its 60th presidential elections, and Americans will address fundamental questions about democracy and the rule of law."
ContactEd Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Former Erie federal judge receives high honor from Bar Association
