Maureen E. Mahoney (born August 28, 1954) is a former deputy solicitor general and an appellate lawyer at the law firm of Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.,[1] who has argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mahoney was born in South Bend, Indiana, while her father Martin was attending the University of Notre Dame Law School.

[2][4] Mahoney earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Indiana University Bloomington in 1975 with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and her J.D.

[3] She then served as Deputy Solicitor General in the George H. W. Bush administration, where she was a colleague of future Chief Justice of the United States John G.

[14] However, her position in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases raised concerns among conservatives, and she ultimately was passed over in favor of Samuel Alito.

[4] "When I swam as a kid, my coach told me I needed sugar in me if I wanted to compete," Mahoney has explained.