Donetta W. Ambrose

Donetta Wypiski Ambrose (born November 5, 1945) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Early life and education Ambrose was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Her father, Chester Wypiski, worked at the Alcoa mill.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duquesne University in 1967 and a Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in 1970.

Career as lawyer and state judge She was a law clerk to Louis Manderino of Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1971. The case was one of the longest-running cases in the history of the U.S. District Court of Western Pennsylvania, running for 14 years and ultimately settling for $52.5 million.

In 2022, Ambrose presided over pretrial hearings in the federal death penalty case against Robert Bowers, who was indicted on charges of murdering 11 congregants in a gun massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Ambrose assumed senior status (semi-retirement) on November 5, 2010.

Personal life In her early years on the federal bench, Ambrose lived in Lower Burrell; Ambrose later moved to Oakmont.