Events Recap

“You take care of people in their worst moments. I represented people who had killed people in the worst moment of their life, but that wasn’t their whole life.” — Judge Michael McAuliffe ’79

Seeking Justice

During his three-decade career as an attorney, McAuliffe dealt with many emotionally wrenching cases. “It can be very hard, but you do your job,” he says. “You take care of people in their worst moments. I represented people who had killed people in the worst moment of their life, but that wasn’t their whole life.”

McAuliffe says the work was fulfilling because he was ensuring someone was there to help defendants during the worst time of their lives. “Even if you didn’t like the outcome of the trial, that client knew you fought for them. At their lowest point, someone was there to help them,” he says.

Bonifant says Montgomery County residents are fortunate to have a great state’s attorney’s office and an equally outstanding public defender’s office. “Both the prosecutors and the defense attorneys worry about the defendants. When we sentence people, there is such an interest in rehabilitation, which makes sense. It leads to a safer community,” he says.

The state’s attorney, McCarthy, hired Maloney to serve as the deputy state’s attorney from 200715. He had been Maloney’s history teacher in school. “God Bless Good Counsel High School!” Maloney laughs.

“Throughout my career, I have focused on seeking justice,” he says. Maloney spent many years prosecuting crimes in Prince George’s County. “I wanted to bring people to justice for harming families deeply,” he says. “It’s challenging work, but I find it very rewarding. I feel satisfied that people were held accountable.” “Most prosecutors back then stayed for about two years and then went into private practice, but I loved it and stayed for 25 years,” Maloney says.

As a judge, he says, he is more of a generalist. “On any given day I could get a family case, a criminal case, an injunction, guardianship or a drug court case.” He finds the diversity interesting.

Del Pino says he enjoys the opportunities he has to make things right. “Ultimately the ability to represent or defend people, or now as a judge make rulings based on what the law is, or what’s right or just, that’s why I got interested in law and why I enjoy it so much,” he says.

He also wanted to help the community by showing the many Latino people in the county that the court was diverse, that it’s possible for people from their background to attain judgeship and that there is a level of fairness in the court.

For Bonifant, doing something meaningful with his life has always been his main goal. “What we do affects so many lives,” he says. “Being a judge is the greatest job in the world. I look forward to coming into work every day.”

The five judges consider each other friends, often get together with other GC alumni and appreciate those lasting relationships. In May, they gathered on the Montgomery County Courthouse steps for the photo featured with this story. Laughter and jokes abounded, as did conversation about the day and what was going on in each other’s lives. When it was time to pose for the camera, the Falcons stood shoulder to shoulder, proud of a lifetime of achievement and their place in the community.

Brother Mark Award Winner Josie Baur Wants to Impart Her Blessings on Others

When she found out she had won Our Lady of Good Counsel High School’s most prestigious prize, the Brother Mark Award, Josie Baur ’21 felt profoundly blessed.

“I knew I had been nominated, but I wasn’t prepared at all to receive it. It is a real blessing,” she says. “I am so grateful to be recognized in that manner for the last four years. It definitely felt like all of my hard work had paid off.”

The Brother Mark Award, named for GC's founding principal, Brother Mark McCarthy, is awarded each year to the outstanding senior who has given the most of himself or herself to make Good Counsel an exceptional school.

Baur, an International Baccalaureate diploma recipient, was involved in a plethora of activities at Good Counsel. She played tuba in the marching band and wind ensemble, played varsity lacrosse for four years, led retreats through Campus Ministry, participated in the Black Student Association. She was also a member of the nutrition club, the Spectrum Club, student government, the National Honor Society and St. Mary’s Scholars. To call her an overachiever would be putting it mildly.

Bauer committed to attend and play lacrosse at the U.S. Naval Academy after her junior year of high school. She gained national attention during her time as an attacker on the GC team, which finished the 2021 season ranked in the top 20 nationally and in the top 10 for the region. Baur knew she wanted to play for a top 30 Division I team in college, and the Naval Academy fit the bill.

“The Academy itself fits my personality – driven, motivated and disciplined,” she says. “Also, serving my country is something I’ve always thought was honorable and was something I am qualified to do.”

In late June, Baur headed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, where she plans to study chemistry. Eventually, she wants to pursue medicine and focus on orthopedics.

“Medicine perfectly combines my desire to help people and my passion for human anatomy. Both of my parents are in medicine (my mom is a nurse, and my dad is a physical therapist), so I’ve grown up in the environment and have learned some of the ins and outs,” Baur says. “COVID also influenced this desire, especially after seeing how necessary qualified medical personnel are.”

Baur plans to visit GC often during her college years, especially to see her younger brother, William, play in the band as a sophomore and beyond. She says she will also come back for football games and other events. Her relationship with the school will always be strong, she says. “I definitely hope to be involved as a big supporter.”

Baur says, “My time at GC was the best four years I could have ever asked for.”

"…serving my country is something I’ve always thought was honorable and was something I am qualified to do."