The Hon. Mary R. O’Donoghue is a judge for the Family Court of the City of New York in Kings County. She was initially appointed to the Civil Court of the City of New York by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2003. Two years later, Bloomberg appointed her to the Criminal Court of the City of New York. He subsequently re-appointed her in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
O’Donoghue earned a B.A. from Manhattanville College in 1973 and an M.P.S. from Long Island University in 1976. She then completed a J.D. at St. John’s University School of Law in 1980.
While completing her studies, O’Donoghue worked for the Ozanam Hall Nursing Home from 1971 to 1980. She started as an assistant to the administrator, rising through the ranks to become assistant personnel director.
O’Donoghue then began her legal career in 1980. She first worked as an assistant district attorney in the Office of the District Attorney of New York County. During her eleven-year tenure there, she was promoted to Bureau Chief of Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Juvenile Crimes.
In 1991, O’Donoghue left the District Attorney’s Office. She joined the Office of the Governor of the State of New York, where she served as executive assistant to the Director of Criminal Justice. Four years later, she moved to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She spent the next eight years serving as an administrative assistant United States Attorney.