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The St. Joseph Circuit Court announced Molly Donnelly will serve as the court’s newest magistrate judge.
According to a news release, Donnelly’s docket will include civil protective orders, felony case filings, grand jury proceedings, complex civil litigation matters, and domestic relations cases.
“Ms. Donnelly’s wealth of experience in jury trial litigation, supervisory experience with the United States Attorney’s Office, experience in both family law and criminal law matters, exceptional character references, and her exemplary record of nearly 20 years in public service will make her an excellent addition to the St. Joseph County judiciary,” said St. Joseph Circuit Court Judge John Broden in a released statement.
Donnelly fills the vacancy created by Judge Andre Gammage’s retirement.
Gammage announced in March that he would be retiring in May, according to the South Bend Tribune.
Prior to becoming magistrate judge, Donnelly served as branch chief for the South Bend Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in Northern Indiana since September 2020. In that role, Donnelly supervised assistant U.S. attorneys and provided training to them and to law enforcement throughout the district.
She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Northern Indiana in July 2016, where she served as an assistant attorney and conducted jury trials, sentencing hearings, and motions to suppress evidence.
Donnelly’s practice areas included violent crimes, firearms offenses, distribution of controlled substances, child exploitation offenses, white collar crimes, and immigration offenses.
In addition to her work in Indiana, Donnelly practiced in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for nearly a decade, where she prosecuted jury trials for offenses, including first degree murder.
She has presented more than 30 briefs to the Appellate Court of Illinois and has argued before the Illinois’ First District of the Appellate Court and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Donnelly is a 2000 graduate of Marian High School in South Bend and a 2004 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She graduated from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2007.
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