MEET THE JUDGES

The Honorable Jeannie Eun Kyung Cho was appointed to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland in November 2016 by Governor Larry Hogan.  Judge Cho is the first Asian-American judge appointed to the Circuit Court bench in Montgomery County.  Before being appointed to the Circuit Court, Judge Cho served as a judge in the District Court for Montgomery County, Maryland for four years after Governor Martin O’Malley appointed her to the District Court bench in August 2012.

Prior to Judge Cho’s service as a judge, she spent 10 years as a prosecutor in both Montgomery and Howard Counties, and then eight years in private practice as a partner at Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A. and then at Hall & Cho, P.C. She handled both criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts.  Judge Cho received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Maryland in 1989 and her Juris Doctorate Degree in 1992 from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Judge Cho’s career is marked by her dedication to service to the community.  The following are among the activities, professional associations, and boards that Judge Cho has actively participated in:

• The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA),
• Member, 1993- present; Bar Association of Montgomery County (BAMC),
• Member 1993- present; BAMC Outreach Committee,
• Member, 1994-95; Montgomery County Inns of Court,
• Member, 1994-95, 2004-07, 2009-14; BAMC Administration of Justice Committee,
• Member, 1995-96; MSBA Leadership Academy,
• Fellow, 1996-97; Howard County Bar Association,
• Member, 1996-97; Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association,
• Member, 1996-2004; MSBA Special Committee on Korean Bar (now Asian-American Bar),
• Member, 1996-2000 (Chair 2011-12); MSBA Committee on Judicial Appointments,
• Member,1997-2012; MSBA Leadership Academy Committee,
• Member, 1999-2006; BAMC Executive Committee,
• Member, 2002-04, 2007-09; Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Maryland,
• Member, 2002 – present; Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association,
• Member/Co-Chair, 2004-06; BAMC Criminal Law Section,
• Member, 2005-06; Board of Directors, Montgomery County Bar Foundation,
• Member, 2005-15; Marlborough Inn of Court,
• Member, 2006-08; BAMC Diversity Committee,
• Member, 2008-15; MSBA Criminal Law and Practice Section Council,
• Member, 2008 – present (Chair 2012-13); Public Defender Regional Advisory Board,
• Member, 2009; Character Committee, 7th Appellate Circuit, Court of Appeals,
• Member, 2010-12; Korean-American Women’s Chamber of Commerce,
• Member, 2011-12; Board of Trustees, Office of the Public Defender,
• Board Member, 2011-12; Charter Review Commission, Montgomery County,
• Member, 2011-12, 2015 – 2016; Court Access and Community Relations Committee of the Judicial Council.

The following are among the awards Judge Cho has received for her service to the community:  Maryland Citizen Award, Howard County, 2000; Community Service Award for Outstanding Leadership as General Counsel, the League of Korean Americans of Maryland, 2006; Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, U.S. Representative Christopher Van Hollen, Jr., 2006; Community Service Award, Diversity Committee, Montgomery County Bar Association, 2011; Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Daily Record, 2015.

Judge Cho was born in South Korea and has been a resident of Montgomery County for over 30 years.  She currently resides in Rockville with her husband, E. Joseph Fitzpatrick, Jr., an attorney and past president of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland, her mother, Baek Re Cho, and their 3 wonderful dogs.