Tiffany Johnson L’26 was named the 2025 recipient of the Northern District of New York Federal Court Bar Association (NDNY FCBA) the Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 Law Scholarship. Johnson, a recently retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, is pursuing her J. D. through Syracuse University College of Law’s Hybrid Online J.D. Program, JDinteractive.

She serves as a Legal Extern with the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Grievance Board in Arlington, Virginia, and as a Student Attorney with the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, where she represents veterans before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She will serve as a Student Attorney with the Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic in the spring semester.
Johnson is also a Staff News Writer for Impunity Watch News, the media arm of the Syracuse Journal of Global Rights & Organizations, which focuses on global human rights and impunity reporting. She is a member of the Military & Veterans Law Society and the American Bar Association Representative for Syracuse Law.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as the recipient of the NDNY FCBA Hon. Norman A. Mordue Law Scholarship,” says Johnson. “Judge Mordue’s legacy of military service, judicial excellence, and commitment to mentoring future advocates resonates strongly with me. This recognition not only supports my legal education but also strengthens my resolve to serve veterans and advance justice with the same integrity and dedication that defined Judge Mordue’s career.”
The NDNY-FCBA’s the Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 Law Scholarship provides a Syracuse University College of Law student with the means to pursue a legal education and follow in the footsteps of Judge Mordue, a decorated war hero who served as chief judge for the NDNY and taught trial practice at Syracuse Law as an adjunct professor. The FCBA established the scholarship after Judge Mordue’s passing in December 2022.
Judge Mordue served as the senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of New York, where he was a judge from 1998 until his passing in December 2022. A 2022 recipient of the college’s Law Honors Award, Judge Mordue was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.