Chief ADA Jessica Weyant Honored with Prestigious Morgenthau Award

Cortland County Chief Assistant District Attorney Jessica M. Weyant has been honored as the 2025 recipient of the Robert M. Morgenthau Award. The award was presented on January 30 by the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York at its Winter Conference in New York City.

The Morgenthau Award is given annually to one prosecutor in each Appellate Division across New York State. It recognizes prosecutors who demonstrate honesty, integrity, and a strong commitment to justice. The award is named after longtime Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, who emphasized that a prosecutor’s role is to protect the public and uphold the law — not simply to win convictions.

Chief ADA Weyant serves as a Special Victims Prosecutor and has handled some of the most complex cases in Cortland County over the past five years. She also works closely with the Child Advocacy Center’s Multi-Disciplinary Team, coordinating with law enforcement and service providers to support victims and strengthen prosecutions.

A Groton native, Weyant is a graduate of Clark University and Duquesne University School of Law. She was named Chief Special Victims Prosecutor in 2020 and promoted to Chief Assistant District Attorney in 2023.

Weyant says serving the people of Cortland County is both her passion and her purpose.