Born in Los Angeles, California, McLaughlin received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1963 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1966.
She was in private practice in Los Angeles from 1966 to 1970, and in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa from 1970 to 1980.
[2] On March 20, 1992, McLaughlin was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California created by 104 Stat.
McLaughlin served in that capacity until her death, in 1999, in Santa Ana, California.
[2] On January 8, 1999, McLaughlin was injured in a car crash, for which she was hospitalized for an extended period of time.