---
title: "Mary G. O'Brien | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mary-g-o-brien-va-court-of-appeals-of-virginia"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Mary G. O'Brien

Court of Appeals of Virginia · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Court of Appeals of Virginia
- State: Virginia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### cell phones and electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Virginia courts commonly restrict cell phones and other electronic devices in court buildings; counsel and litigants should check the local court policy before arrival.

Evidence excerpt: Most courts in Virginia do not allow you to bring a cell phone or other electronic device into the building.

[Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Official roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia official judicial roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- 2015–present: Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, elected by the Virginia General Assembly; term began February 1, 2015
- Mary Grace O’Brien is an American judge serving on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, a position she has held since February 1, 2015
- 2008: First female Circuit Court Judge in Virginia’s 31st Judicial Circuit
- 2001–2008: Judge, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Prince William County
- 1985: Joined Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, prosecuting major narcotics and sexual assault cases
- 1983–1985: Judicial law clerk to Hon. Roscoe B. Stephenson Jr., Supreme Court of Virginia
- As a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, O’Brien hears appeals from lower court cases across the state, applying Virginia law and procedural rules
- The first woman to serve as a Circuit Court Judge in Virginia’s 31st Judicial Circuit

### Education

- B.A. in English, Le Moyne College (1980) J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law (1983)

### Additional information

- Her current term runs until January 31, 2023.
- Born: 1958, Buffalo, New York
- O’Brien has served on the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Section on the Education of Lawyers, the Model Jury Instruction Committee, the Association of District Court Judges Benchbook Committee, and the Virginia State Bar Professionalism Faculty.