Former U.S. Attorney Denise O'Donnell is being nominated to the White House to be a federal judge.Senator Charles Schumer sent the Buffalo native's name along to President Obama for his consideration to serve as a judge in U.S. District Court in the Western District. In making the recommendation, Schumer highlighted some of O'Donnell's many legal accomplishments.
“Denise O’Donnell has a deep commitment to Buffalo – a city where she was born, raised, educated and raised her own family; she has unparalleled experience; and she has one of the best and brightest legal minds in all of New York," Schumer said, in a statement.
"I am more than confident she will be a fair, insightful, and well-respected judge.”
If appointed, O'Donnell would be the second woman on the federal bench in the western district, but the first ever to serve in Buffalo.
Currently the Director of the Federal Bureau of Justice, O’Donnell, 67, would take the chair of Judge William M. Skretny, who is stepping down from the bench in March 2015.
O'Donnell earned her undergraduate degree at Canisius College, and followed that up with a Master's in Social Work from the University at Buffalo and by graduating summa cum laude from the UB Law School.