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

Baltimore City Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-larges ...

District Court judge. She is married to

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...

, a former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore, and a 2016 presidential candidate. She was an unsuccessful candidate for Maryland Attorney General 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 is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, 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, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

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. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

, 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 1995 to 2003. He previously served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982 to 19 ...

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 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 The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...

Partnership. In her combined role as first lady, she welcomed judges' delegations annually from

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, to

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

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 who served as the Attorney General of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. He also served five terms in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 16 in Montgom ...

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 have 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 to U.S. Congressman Anthony Brown, her husband's former running mate and

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 ...

. In January 2024, the Women's Law Center of Maryland named O'Malley as its executive director.

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, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

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 Living people 21st-century American women American prosecutors American women judges First ladies and gentlemen of Maryland Maryland state court judges Towson University alumni University of Baltimore School of Law alumni Women in Maryland politics Candidates in the 2022 United States elections