Kathleen McDonald O'Malley at a glance
- Current role
- Former U.S. Circuit Judge
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- Former
Kathleen McDonald O'Malley
Former U.S. Circuit Judge · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge · Former · December 27, 2010–Former · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Source authority
- CourtListener / Free Law Project
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2010-present
- Judge, District Court, N.D. Ohio, 1994-2010
- Ohio Attorney General’s Office (1991–1994): Chief Counsel (1991–1993) and later Chief of Staff and First Assistant Attorney General
- Law clerk to Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1982–1983)
- The only former district court judge appointed to the Federal Circuit
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Education
- Case Western Reserve University School of Law in, where she was on the Law Review and the National Mock Trial Team — J.D. (1982)
- Kenyon College — B.A. (1979)
- O’Malley obtained a double Artium Baccalaureus in history and economics from Kenyon College in 1979, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Additional information
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2010–2022): Appointed by President Barack Obama, confirmed December 22, 2010, and commissioned December 27, 2010; retired March 11, 2022.
- She has received multiple honors, including the Sedona Conference Lifetime Achievement Award, the New Jersey IP Law Association Jefferson Medal, and the IPO’s 2020 Distinguished IP Professional Award.
- Apple, Inc. (2017) and Laerdal Medical Corp. v.
- International Trade Commission (2017).
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (1994–2010): Appointed by President Bill Clinton, confirmed October 7, 1994, and commissioned October 12, 1994.
- Private practice, Cleveland, OH, 1983-1991
- Private practice in Cleveland, Ohio (1983–1991)
- Date of birth: 1956-01-01
- focusing on complex corporate, commercial, and intellectual property litigation.
- O’Malley’s work included significant IP rulings, such as in VirnetX Inc. v.
- The Federal Circuit is the sole U.S. court of appeals handling patent cases and also hears appeals in copyright, trademark, trade secret, antitrust, securities fraud, tax, and mass tort matters.
- O’Malley is a Senior Adviser to the Renewing American Innovation Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and continues to lecture and train judges and lawyers globally.
- In summary: Kathleen McDonald O’Malley is a distinguished federal judge with over 27 years in service, notable for her expertise in intellectual property law, her leadership in state and federal legal offices, and her ongoing contributions to innovation policy and judicial education.
- She served on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s judicial advisory council and contributed to IP court development in Ukraine.
- Birth place: Drexel Hill, PA
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Argument Check In
Courtwide
Arguing counsel must check in with the courtroom deputy at least 30 minutes before the day's session starts.
Arguing counsel must check-in with the courtroom deputy at their assigned courtroom at least thirty minutes before the start of the day's session.Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments ↗
Same Day Changes
Courtwide
Same-day changes to arguing counsel or time divisions are generally not allowed without a prior new appearance and amended response to the notice of oral argument.
Same-day changes to arguing counsel or time divisions are generally not allowed, absent prior filing of a new entry of appearance and an amended Response to Notice of Oral Argument in the case.Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · effective December 27, 2010 · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit current judicial profile ↗Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments
Courtwide source · HTML · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · Source checked July 30, 2026
View Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments ↗