About Judge Mary McGinley
On August 12, 2019, Judge McGinley was installed as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, having been appointed by then Governor Tom Wolf. She was elected to serve a ten-year term on the bench beginning in January 2020. Upon installation, Judge McGinley served in the Court’s Family Division, handling matters stemming from family conflict, including custody, divorce and protection from abuse cases. In January 2022, Judge McGinley began service in the Court’s Civil Division, where she presides over a variety of civil matters and is assigned special dockets relating to real estate and housing. She was also recently assigned to serve the Court’s Commerce and Complex Litigation Center. Judge McGinley is a current officer of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges and previously served on the Conference’s Judicial Ethics Committee.
Prior to her installation to the bench, Judge McGinley worked with in private practice and as a trial attorney, she had a unique practice working on cases in the Pennsylvania trial courts’ Orphans’ Court Division. She also handled complex commercial disputes in both state and federal courts. Judge McGinley graduated from Penn State University with a B.A. and met her husband, Patrick, while an undergraduate student. She then graduated from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2002.
Having been raised in a family that emphasized service to others, Judge McGinley’s career has been marked by volunteerism and leadership positions. She previously served as a Trustee of Carlow University and of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation and is a past Director of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc. For over ten years, she served as Co-Chair of Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s Attorneys Against Hunger Campaign, and she was honored with the Jefferson Award for Public Service in that role. For her work in the law and in the community at large, Judge McGinley has received several other awards and recognitions, including the Duquesne University School of Law’s Woman of the Year, the Duquesne Law Alumni Association Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Allegheny County Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer.
Judge McGinley is most proud of her family. She is happiest when spending time with her husband, Patrick, and their children, Kristina and Jack. Judge McGinley and her family have special and unique connections to Saint Vincent College, and they are frequent visitors to campus.