UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS

CEREMONIAL MISC. NO. 01-23

IN RE: THE MATTER OF THE RETIREMENT OF DOROTHY A. MCKINNEY 

Before BARTLEY, Chief Judge, and PIETSCH, GREENBERG, ALLEN, MEREDITH, 

TOTH, FALVEY, LAURER, and JAQUITH, Judges, and KRAMER, HOLDAWAY, GREENE, 

KASOLD, HAGEL, MOORMAN, LANCE, DAVIS, and SCHOELEN, Senior Judges.

O R D E R

Before the Court is the matter of the retirement of Dorothy A. McKinney, who has served the federal 

judiciary with distinction for more than 25 years. Although she started work at the U.S. Court of Appeals 

for Veterans Claims in June 2006, Ms. McKinney's service to the courts of the United States began more 

than 30 years earlier when she took her first job in the judiciary at the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ms. McKinney grew up and started a teaching career in the small town of Granville, Ohio. When 

her husband, Richard, was drafted into the Army and sent east, Ms. McKinney accompanied him and took 

a teaching job in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Although she envisioned that they would eventually return to 

Ohio, she soon accepted a position with a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. There she met a friend who told 

her of a vacancy at the Supreme Court. Ms. McKinney interviewed with the Clerk of the Court, Michael 

Rodack, and accepted a position in the Clerk's Office. Two years later, Ms. McKinney was hired away from 

the Clerk to work directly for the Chief Justice of the United States, Warren Burger. For the next 7 years, 

Ms. McKinney kept track of cases that crossed the Chief Justice's desk, assembled his documents for use 

in weekly conferences, and organized documents related to cases being argued before the court.

Sensitive to the demands of work at the Supreme Court and wanting to pursue the role of "Mom,"

Ms. McKinney resigned from the high court and she and her husband moved to Virginia Beach, where they 

raised their daughter, Jessica. Over 20 years later, in 2006, the pull of D.C. and its new baseball team grew, 

judicial work called, and Ms. McKinney accepted a position as confidential assistant to the Honorable Bruce 

Kasold at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. For 10 years she kept Judge Kasold's chambers 

running smoothly, including the particularly busy 5-year period when he served as Chief Judge. Following 

Judge Kasold's retirement in 2016, Ms. McKinney became the confidential assistant to the Court's Senior 

Judges' Recall Chambers. In that role, for the past 7 years, Ms. McKinney has supported a long list of Judges 

recalled to service, including Judges Nebeker, Kramer, Greene, Hagel, Moorman, Davis, and Schoelen, as 

well as the many law clerks appointed to support them; as part of the Recall Chambers staff,she also assisted 

three of the Court's more recent Chief Judges.

Ms. McKinney is always adaptable and accommodated each Judge's style and workflow 

preferences. In her words, she sees Judges as dedicated public servants who deserve whatever support she 

can provide to keep them from being distracted from their difficult and important duties. Ms. McKinney 

also fully engaged with the entire Court staff and was always the first to volunteer to help with Court events. 

Her loyalty, professionalism, reliability, and commitment to helping others will be deeply missed.

Upon consideration of the foregoing, and as she departs to enjoy retirement, it is

ORDERED that Dorothy A. McKinney take with her our gratitude for the many years of outstanding 

service she has rendered to the judiciary of the United States, our admiration for her selfless service, the 

warmth of our continued friendship, and our very best wishes.

DATED: January 28, 2023 PER CURIAM.