Michael J. McCarthy was appointed a Magistrate Judge by Chief Judge Rufus G. King III on November 3, 2003.

Judge McCarthy was born and raised in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. His father, a practicing attorney, passed away when Mr. McCarthy was eleven years old, leaving his mother to raise four children under the age of 13.

Judge McCarthy graduated from East Bridgewater High School in 1960 and received his B.S. Degree in Business Administration from The Citadel located in Charleston, South Carolina in 1964. Judge McCarthy obtained his Juris Doctor in 1971 from The American University Washington College of Law.

Following graduation from law school, Judge McCarthy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph Ryan of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In September 1972, Judge McCarthy and Frederick J. Sullivan formed the law firm of McCarthy & Sullivan to engage in the general practice of law. His practice has included both criminal and civil litigation in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia,
Federal Courts of both the District of Columbia and Maryland and the State Courts of Maryland. Judge McCarthy has handled thousands of criminal matters ranging from misdemeanors to first-degree murder cases. Judge McCarthy has argued numerous appeals before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Judge McCarthy spent over four years as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force and was assigned overseas in Taiwan, Okinawa and Korea where he had operational control of between 150 and 180 men. Upon his return from overseas, Judge McCarthy was assigned as an Intelligence Officer at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland. Judge McCarthy was honorably discharged from the Air Force having attained the rank of Captain.

Judge McCarthy has been an active member of the American Legion for over 30 years and the Knights of Columbus for over 20 years. He received an award for service to the American Legion. Judge McCarthy participates yearly in the Knights of Columbus fundraising drive, which assists special needs students. For 30 years, Judge McCarthy has been a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland State Bar Associations. Judge McCarthy was a member of the Advisory Board of the College of Southern
Maryland from 1992 to 2000.