Kathleen McDonald O'Malley
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010 and confirmed by voice vote, Kathleen McDonald O'Malley was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1982. She previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1956 · age 70
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2010
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Kenyon College 1979 · Case Western Reserve Law 1982
- Succeeded
- Alvin Anthony Schall
- Succeeded by
- Leonard Philip Stark
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Northern District of Ohio succeeded John William Potter | Clinton (D) | Voice vote |
| 2010 | Federal Circuit succeeded Alvin Anthony Schall | Obama (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| Kenyon College | A.B. | 1979 |
| Case Western Reserve University School of Law | J.D. | 1982 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, O'Malley was assigned 13,426 district-court cases (1973–2011). Median time from filing to termination: 393 days across 13,426 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 84 of O'Malley’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 70 were affirmed, 11 reversed or vacated, and 3 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Kathleen McDonald O'Malley?
- President Barack Obama appointed Kathleen McDonald O'Malley to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2010.
- Was Kathleen McDonald O'Malley appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Kathleen McDonald O'Malley was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Kathleen McDonald O'Malley's confirmation vote?
- Kathleen McDonald O'Malley was confirmed by voice vote on December 22, 2010. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Kathleen McDonald O'Malley on?
- Kathleen McDonald O'Malley was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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11 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).