 He then was a trustee from 1956 to 1958 of the Oregon State Library and the University of Portland.Kilkenny was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 19, 1959, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon vacated by Judge Claude C. McColloch.He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 28, 1959, and received his commission on July 30, 1959.