Christine Donohue

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Christine L. Donohue
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Assumed office
January 4, 2016[1]
Justice of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
In office
2008–2015
Personal details
Born (1952-12-24) December 24, 1952 (age 69)
Coaldale, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materDuquesne University School of Law
East Stroudsburg State College

Christine L. Donohue (born December 25, 1952)[2] is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Prior to her election in 2015[3] she had served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania since 2008, and had served as a trial lawyer and litigator for nearly three decades in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.[4]

Early life[]

Donohue was born in Coaldale, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby Lansford,[2] and is the daughter of a United Mine Worker and a union seamstress.[5] She attended St. Peter and Paul's Elementary School and graduated from Marian Catholic High School in Hometown, Pennsylvania. She also studied as an undergraduate and graduate student at East Stroudsburg State College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.[2] Donohue is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, where she earned her Juris Doctor. She has been an adjunct professor at the same law school. She also served on the Duquesne Law Review.[2]

Career[]

Donohue worked in private practice for 27 years as a personal injury attorney and in commercial litigation. She served as a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, which handles complaints against judges, and sat on the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which handles complaints against lawyers.[4][6] Starting in 2008, Donohue has served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, the busiest appellate court in the United States. She participated in about 7,000 decisions on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania during her tenure there.[6] Donohue has also served on the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners, and was chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board.[6]

Donohue ran as a Democrat for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015, and was part of a Democratic sweep of all three court vacancies, along with Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. They defeated Republican candidates Judith Olsen, Michael George, and Anne Covey, in a campaign that saw more than $15 million in donations from special interests.[3] Donohue received a "highly recommended" rating from the Pennsylvania Bar Association,[4] which noted her reputation for "intelligence, conscientiousness and objectivity".[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Historical List of Supreme Court Justices". www.pacourts.us. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Judge Donohue of Superior Court a Lansford native". Times News. September 22, 2010. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Kraus, Scott; Sheehan, Dan; Assad, Matt (November 4, 2015). "Incumbents fare well in Lehigh Valley elections". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Snapshot look at candidates for Pa. appellate courts". Delaware County Daily Times. Associated Press. November 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "SEIU PA supports Judges Donohue, Dougherty and Wecht for Pa. Supreme Court". SEIU Pennsylvania State Council. October 22, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d "Get to know the candidates for state Supreme Court". LNP Media Group. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2015.

External links[]

Legal offices
Preceded by
Unknown
 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
2016–present 		Incumbent
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