Catherine Curran O'Malley (born August 18, 1962) is an American jurist who served as

Baltimore City Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

District Court judge. She is the wife of Martin O'Malley, a former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore, as well as a 2016 presidential candidate. She was an unsuccessful candidate for

Maryland Attorney General The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qual ...

in the 2022 election.

Early life and education

O'Malley is the daughter of Barbara Marie (née Atkins) and former Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. A native of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, she attended Notre Dame Preparatory School. O'Malley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

and a Juris Doctor from the

University of Baltimore School of Law The University of Baltimore School of Law, or the UB School of Law, is one of the four colleges that make up the University of Baltimore, which is part of the University System of Maryland. The UBalt School of Law is one of only two law schools i ...

Career

Upon graduation from law school in 1991, O'Malley accepted a job as an assistant state's attorney in

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

, serving in that office until her appointment as a judge. In the state's attorney's office, she prosecuted homicides and other violent felonies before serving as the chief of the white collar/economic crimes unit from 1999 to 2001. On August 16, 2001, then-Governor

Parris Glendening Parris Nelson Glendening (born June 11, 1942) is an American politician and academic who served as the 59th Governor of Maryland from January 18, 1995, to January 15, 2003. Previously, he was the County Executive of Prince George's County, Mary ...

appointed her to a 10-year term, expiring in 2011, as an Associate Judge for the First District Court of Maryland, encompassing the city of

. She was re-appointed to additional 10-year terms in both 2011 and in 2021. O'Malley became

First Lady of Maryland The spouse of the governor of Maryland is given an honorary position, styled as First Lady or First Gentleman of the State of Maryland. To date there have been no female governors of the State of Maryland, and all first spouses have been first lad ...

in January 2007 when her husband took office as governor. As a judge, she was prohibited by the judicial code of conduct from joining her husband in partisan campaign events. Martin O'Malley's governorship ended in January 2015. As a judge, O'Malley was a leader on addressing domestic violence through the court system and with protective orders. She also served on the steering committee of the Maryland/Leningrad Region Rule of Law Partnership. In her combined role as first lady, she welcomed judges' delegations annually from

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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, to

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for receptions and working dinners. In February 2008, O'Malley and others led a reciprocal visit to Saint Petersburg to work on domestic-violence prevention and prosecution. In 2019, O'Malley joined the Open World Leadership Center Board of Trustees, supporting the organization's mission of promoting the rule of law and democratic values around the globe. In October 2021, after Maryland Attorney General

Brian Frosh Brian E. Frosh (born October 8, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Maryland. He also served five terms in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 16 in Montgomery County. Prior to ...

announced he would not seek a third term, O'Malley announced she would be retiring as a judge, fueling speculation that she would run for Maryland Attorney General. Her final day as a judge was October 29, 2021. If elected, she would had held the same office that her father held for 20 years. She announced her candidacy in the 2022 Maryland Attorney General election on December 1, 2021. On July 19, 2022, O'Malley lost the Democratic primary, she was defeated by U.S. Congressman Anthony Brown, her husband's former running mate and Lieutenant Governor.

Personal life

While attending law school, she met

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

law student Martin O'Malley, and they wed in 1990. She and her husband have four children.

References

External links

Katie O'Malley for Maryland Attorney General
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalley, Katie 1962 births American prosecutors American women judges First Ladies and Gentlemen of Maryland Living people Maryland state court judges Towson University alumni University of Baltimore School of Law alumni Women in Maryland politics 21st-century American women