Former Mountaineer Scales Highest Court in the West

Appointed by President Clinton in 1998 to the 9th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals, Margaret McKeown is known as a first-rate jurist with exceptional people skills. A trailblazer in her profession and in the great outdoors, she is described as both a tough judge and a lovely person.

M. Margaret McKeown

9th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals

Career Highlights: Nominated to the 9th Circuit by President William J. Clinton, Jan. 7, 1997; confirmed by the U.S. Senate, March 27, 1998; partner, Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, 1981-98; special assistant to the secretary of the interior and special assistant at the White House, 1980-81; associate, Perkins Coie, Seattle, 1975-80

Law School: Georgetown University Law Center, 1975

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By Amelia Hansen
Daily Journal Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Mary Margaret McKeown's climbing team had ascended 22,000 feet on Tibet's Shishapangma when the avalanche hit.

"It was like a churning river knocking us down," McKeown recalled recently. "They tell us you're supposed to drop your pack, but there was no time for that. Survival instinct just takes over."

After the snow settled, McKeown and two other climbers were able to get out. But it wa... (continued)