Family, former colleagues, and friends celebrate former U.S. District Judge’s thirty years on the bench

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - After 30 years of service as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia, Irene M. Keeley has retired.

Friends, former colleagues, and family gathered at the Erickson Alumni Center at West Virginia University to honor Keeley’s years of service.

She was appointed as one of the first women to be a federal judge in the state.

Keeley said she remembered the day former president George H. W. Bush called to nominate her for what was a newly created position.

“I thought, well, I don’t think this will ever happen. I picked up the phone, and I was told that I would be receiving a phone call from President George Bush later in the day. I guess I could figure out what it was for,” she said.

Keeley thanked the community for supporting her and told them she was ready to travel with her husband and spend time with her grandchildren.

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