When the topic of their future career plans came up over drinks at the Atwood Cafe in 2000, John F. Maher told former law school classmate Karen L. O’Malley she would make a great judge. Maher took out a pen and wrote this on a drink coaster: “Karen O’Malley and John Maher decided that Karen O’Malley should be on the bench in 2002.” “I wrote it down and said, ‘I’m going to keep this and I’m going to give it back to you one day when you’re on the bench …