Ann Donnelly known to be no-nonsense on Brooklyn’s bench

January 30, 2017 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Justice Ann Donnelly speaks at her installation ceremony at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 2016. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

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Before she became a Federal Court judge, Justice Ann Donnelly worked as a trial court judge for the New York State Supreme Court and it was there that the judge who defied the president helped to forge a reputation as a no-nonsense type.

“She was exceptionally bright,” recalled Hon. Barry Kamins, who served as her boss as administrative judge of the New York State Supreme Court, Kings County, Criminal Term. “She ran a very tight courtroom in the sense that she expected prosecutors and defense counsel to be prepared and moved cases along very quickly.

“She did so in a way that was extremely fair to both sides and litigants on both sides felt that they always got a fair shake when they were in her courtroom,” Kamins continued.

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See ‘Brooklyn judge defies a president’

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When asked about her reputation for having an Irish stubborn streak, Kamins laughed and simply said that she had high expectations for those who came before her as a judge.

“There is an expression — ‘she didn’t suffer fools gladly,’” Kamins said. “She expected lawyers, when they came in, to be ready on both sides which is certainly appropriate. I don’t think she tolerated sloppy practice or lawyers who are not prepared.”

Donnelly is also known as a bit of a goody-two-shoes. During her installation ceremony at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York a year ago, then-Chief Judge Carol Bagley Amon joked that she couldn’t dig up any dirt on Donnelly to share to embarrass her during the ceremony.