Professional Background

Suzanne McDonough was appointed to serve as an Associate Justice of the District Court in June 2025 by Governor Maura Healey. Prior to her appointment, between 2022 and 2025, Judge McDonough served as Deputy Legal Counsel of the Administrative Office of the District Court. In that capacity, she advised the Justices and Clerk Magistrates of the District Court on legal, ethical, and policy issues and developed curriculum and training materials for those clerks and judges. She also worked to edit the District Court Criminal Model Jury Instructions and the Guidelines for Judicial Practice on Abuse and Harassment Prevention Orders. Prior to that employment, Judge McDonough worked as an attorney in private practice, defending private and indigent clients in criminal matters in trial and appellate matters in courts across Massachusetts. Judge McDonough also worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office for thirteen years. She first served in the District Court and later moved to prosecuting murder, rape, child sexual assault, arson, drug and other major felony cases in the Superior Court, where she helped lead the Family Protection Unit. During the course of her career, Judge McDonough tried hundreds of cases to verdict and argued many times before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court.