MEET THE JUDGES

Judge James Dietrich was appointed to the Montgomery County Circuit Court by Governor Wes Moore following a comprehensive vetting process that included interviews with more than a dozen bar associations, as well as legal and community leaders. He was sworn in as a Circuit Court Judge in October 2025 and currently presides over family law, criminal, and civil matters.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Dietrich served as Chief of the Felony Trial Division in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. In that capacity, he supervised young trial attorneys and prosecuted numerous high-profile cases, including homicides and other serious violent offenses.

Before joining the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office in 2019, Judge Dietrich spent 21 years with the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office. He served as Principal Attorney and Chief of the Major Crimes Division, where he supervised attorneys and prosecuted homicides and other complex felony cases.

Judge Dietrich is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, his alma mater, where he teaches evidence, criminal procedure, and trial practice. In 2022, he was recognized as the university’s Adjunct Lecturer of the Year.

Judge Dietrich earned his Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America in 1995 and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in History, from Le Moyne College in 1992.

He has been active in community service, volunteering as a youth basketball coach to his three sons and other young athletes, serving as a Montgomery County Swim League stroke and turn judge and community pool president, and mentoring high school students participating in mock trial programs.