Karen Diane McDonald (born July 11, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the prosecuting attorney of

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and formerly as a judge on Michigan's 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life, education, and career

Karen McDonald was born on July 11, 1970 in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

, Michigan, alongside her fraternal twin sister

Kristen McDonald Rivet Kristen McDonald Rivet is an American politician who is a member of the Michigan Senate for the 35th district. She was elected in November 2022 and took office on January 1, 2023. Early life and education McDonald Rivet was raised in Portland, ...

, to parents Bob and Kathy McDonald. Shortly after she was born, McDonald’s parents moved from the Lansing area to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Michigan, where she was raised. McDonald graduated from Portland High School and earned her B.A. in English and political science from Alma College in 1992. She became a public school English teacher and was a member of her local

Michigan Education Association The Michigan Education Association (MEA), headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, is a labor union representing more than 157,000 teachers, faculty and education support staff throughout the state. Usually referred to as a “teachers' union” it ...

union. After graduating cum laude from

Wayne State University Law School Wayne State University Law School (Wayne Law) is the law school of Wayne State University in Detroit. Wayne Law is located in Midtown, Detroit's Cultural Center. Founded in 1927, the law school offers juris doctor (J.D.), master of laws (LL.M.), ...

in 1998, McDonald joined the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecuting attorney, where she prosecuted child sexual assault cases as well as general misdemeanors and felonies and maintained a 100 percent conviction rate. In 2004, McDonald joined the Oakland County-based firm Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss P.C., where she specialized in civil and family law, and was named partner and shareholder in 2010. In her career, McDonald has carved out significant legal expertise in matters relating to children. Notably, she has been a member of the Foster Care Review Board Program Advisory Committee, Department of Health & Human Services Human Trafficking Protocol Revision Committee, Child Death Review Committee, Oakland County Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force, National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Michigan Judges Association, the Women’s Lawyer Association of Michigan, and the Oakland County Bar Association. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Oakland County Domestic Violence Prevention Award and the Joan E. Young Champion of Children Award.

2012 election and Circuit Court judge

In 2012, McDonald ran for an open seat on the Oakland County Circuit Court, winning the non-partisan judicial election with nearly 60% of the vote. Taking office in January 2013, McDonald presided for over six years as a family court judge, taking a docket focused on divorce and custody, child abuse and neglect, as well as juvenile delinquency cases. In 2015, McDonald presided over the first same-sex adoption in the history of the State of Michigan, stating that the case was a great honor. McDonald was unopposed in her 2018 re-election bid, and on November 6, 2018, she was elected for a second six-year term on the 6th Circuit Court, ranking as the top vote-earner of incumbent circuit court judges.

2020 election and Oakland County Prosecutor

In April 2019, McDonald took the unusual step of stepping down from her judgeship, announcing her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney in the 2020 election, thus forcing the third-term incumbent prosecutor Jessica Cooper into a highly-contested primary election. McDonald campaigned on a progressive, reformist platform focused on limiting incarceration for non-violent crimes, and ensuring prosecutorial decisions are informed by racial justice considerations. McDonald’s campaign was endorsed by 87 individuals and organizations, including the

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

, Detroit News,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Gretchen Whitmer,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Garlin Gilchrist,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Dana Nessel Dana Michelle Nessel (born April 19, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Nessel is the second openly lesbian woman elected at ...

, Wayne County Prosecutor

Kym Worthy Kym Loren Worthy (born December 5, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan since 2004. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is the first African-American wo ...

, and numerous local

elected officials, party leaders, organizations and associations. On August 4, 2020, McDonald defeated incumbent prosecutor Jessica Cooper with two-thirds of all ballots cast, claiming the Democratic nomination for Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney and advancing to the general election. On November 3, 2020, McDonald was elected Oakland County Prosecutor, defeating her Republican opponent and ranking as the top vote-getter among all county-wide candidates.

Electoral history

References

External links

Karen McDonald campaign website

Oakland County Prosecutor's Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Karen Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Michigan lawyers Michigan state court judges 21st-century American politicians Alma College alumni Wayne State University Law School alumni People from Lansing, Michigan People from Portland, Michigan People from Oakland County, Michigan People from Birmingham, Michigan 1970 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers