BALTIMORE — Katie O'Malley has answered the call to many names, judge, Maryland first lady and now Executive Director of the Women's Law Center of Maryland.
She says her 30 year career in the courtroom has prepared her for the role.
"As a young lawyer representing witnesses and victims in domestic violence and sexual assault cases, seeing how they were treated in some instances very well but then in other instances so poorly they would never ever want to come back,” said O’Malley.
In 2001, O’Malley was appointed a Baltimore District Court Judge. She oversaw hundreds of domestic violence cases. On her docket of priorities, was making sure women didn't feel re-victimized in court.
"That's something we've all grappled with in the criminal justice arena for many years, whether it’s intimate partner violence or sexual assault, not making the experience even more traumatic for the victims when they come forward, if they come forward,” said O’Malley.
O’Malley retired from her judge seat in 2021, but the work hasn't stopped. In Annapolis, she continues to push for legislation that supports more than 7,000 clients the Women's Law Center serves every year.
"Being a judge you can't really be an advocate. After 22 years of calling balls and strikes as a judge in civil and criminal law, this is a way to get back into the role."
The center offers free legal services for domestic violence cases. In the U.S. nearly 20 people every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. In one year, that's more than 10 million women and men, according to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
"Women's rights are human rights. Seeing the results of how you can use the law to protect individuals who may need protection," said O'Malley.
There's also legal support for divorce, custody and protective hearings. Attorneys assist with immigration representation for survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking. O’Malley hopes to continue the work that the founding members started in 1971.
"There's huge shoes to put my feet into to follow. I will hope to continue the great work they did and see where the next 50 years will take the center," said O'Malley.
