The Hon. Mary Louise Costello Daniel is a judge for the 26th Judicial District Court of Virginia. She was appointed to the bench on June 1, 2020, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Ian R.D. Williams.
The 26th Judicial District encompasses the Cities of Winchester and Harrisonburg as well as the Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren.
Prior to her appointment, Daniel was a managing partner at Booth, Strange & Daniel, a law firm she joined in 2017. Before that, she worked as a sole practitioner in her own private practice in Winchester (1998 to 2017), supplementing her practice by prosecuting domestic violence and sexual assault cases as a part-time assistant commonwealth’s attorney for the City of Winchester.
Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1990. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Richmond School of Law in 1993.
She is licensed to practice in West Virginia (1993), Virginia (1997), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western (1997) and Eastern (1998) Districts of Virginia, the United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia (1993), and the United States Supreme Court (2001).
After graduating from law school, Daniel entered into private practice in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She worked in that capacity until 1996, at which time she relocated to Berryville, Virginia, and joined Hobert, Kerr & Perka.
Her memberships have included the Clarke County Board of Supervisors, the Clarke County Planning Commission, and the Berryville Town Council. She has also been involved with the Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy.
Born in Winchester, Virginia, Daniel was raised in Frederick County, where she attended James Wood High School.
She is registered as a Democrat.