"The Robing Room: MD State Judges

Hon. Jeannie Eun Kyung Cho	See Rating Details
Circuit Judge Circuit Court
Montgomery County 6th Circuit	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 5.6 - 19 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 18 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

Add your own rating

E-Mail Address ()

* *

Confirm E-mail Address

* * *

Zip

Occupation

Add a comment only

Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

Please type what you see below:

Not an even number!

What others have said about Hon. Jeannie Eun Kyung Cho

Comments

Other

Comment #: MD9541
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She made her decision on discontinuing my alimony stating my ex’s new wife was “dying” - which was never brought up in court as I probably could have proved it was not true as she is still alive 4 years later - she took my post retirement financial statement added my last pay which included a bonus ( I won’t be getting either if I retired) - added in my Medicare cost which I wouldn’t be paying if I retired- left out my other costs and said I would be making an excess of $4000/ month which was not true then or now- I work 2 jobs at 69 to stay afloat - and will not be able to retire.
This person should not be a judge - she is unfit and hurts innocent people

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD9534
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The worst judge in the county. She's lazy, doesn't know the rules of evidence, and is so arrogant she can't take it when an attorney tries to cite to the rules/law.
Avoid her.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD9429
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Just plain bad. Too expensive to appeal her clearly erroneous rulings but she needs a good reversal opinion to let her know she isn't as bright as she pretends to be.

Litigant

Comment #: MD9384
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This Judge is very UN-qualified to be a judge in family matters.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD9364
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Awful. She does not understand the rules of evidence. She can't understand what is and what isn't hearsay.
And when you try to point out what the rules actually say she gets pissed.
Se needs to take a course on evidence.

Other

Comment #: MD9342
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Cho should not be allowed to proceed over family law. She has no understanding what is in the best interest of the child. She prioritizes the opposing parties sporadic availability over a child’s schedule, routine, and safety. We had a court evaluator go through our very complicated case and she basically scuffed at the recommendation creating an even more turbulent relationship within the family. All the benefit the bio mother and not the child. She appears to not be fond of successful women (black, brown, white) who carry themselves well. Maybe she’s intimidated idk maybe it’s internalized misogyny. She let the opposing party speak out of turn, throw his hands up, and even say “I f-ing hate you all” all throughout trial. The worse she did was shoot him a glare. She allowed the incompetent lawyer of the opposing party bypass certain procedures to introduce evidence, witnesses, etc while berating my attorney when she objected to the gross misconduct. I’m not sure how this woman holds the power to change people’s lives but she shouldn’t. She’s unprofessional, uneducated in family law, bias, rude, short, and incredibly condescending. But more importantly she knows nothing about children. It’s scary and not fair. Say a prayer and hold on tight if Judge Cho is your judge for family court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD9144
Rating:1.8

Comments:
TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE. She gave every benefit to a wage thief that was imaginable. Anti-employee. I think she was an immigration lawyer before she became a Judge. She has no clue.

Other

Comment #: MD8741
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Unprofessional, immature, and lazy. Annoyed by and will not look at evidence and does not consider the best interest of the child. Is a grossly unqualified judge for Family court.

Other

Comment #: MD8558
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Very angry, harsh and burned out professional.
She would quote the laws and then the next day do the opposite.
She backed up her decision with misquotes and inaccurate financial numbers, allowed my ex to walk away with 1.6 million, and left me working three jobs at age 66 after a 24 year marriage.
She awards his new wife insurance and other money despite having quoted a law the day before saying she should not be included.
She berated me in her summary when there was no need to; all we needed was the final answer regarding continuing alimony.
I was blamed for making MY decision to buy the house - with a mortgage equal to rent in Montgomery county while no blame was assigned to my x for dissipating our retirement accounts on hookers and cocaine on his business trips.

She was aware that if my jobs end - I can't afford even rent - she didn't care

So if you see me on the corner of Veirs Mill and 355 begging - Thank Judge Cho

Unless you're a white male in the Montgomery county family court system - watch out!

Litigant

Comment #: MD7585
Rating:8.0

Comments:
I just spent 4 years with Judge Cho and here is my take:

My ex wife is a middle eastern, high net worth, dangerously accomplished pathological liar, committed to gaming the system. Our kids were emancipated, our estate was complex, her attorney was extraordinarily incompetent (Joe Compofilece), and somehow Cho figured it out which for me under the circumstances was impressive. She seemed to dial into the lying and my ex gaming the system and at the end...Cho got it right.

All the other things about her not putting up with BS and legal incompetency is true! She is smart, intuitive and going to run a tight ship...period! And for me as an angry out of control victim, that was not necessary to my advantage. I feel that you can trust that she will figure it out. If you are a piece of shit like my wife, you should be terrified!!!

Other

Comment #: MD7410
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Cho is someone you do not want to see on the bench if your child's welfare is at stake. Why does Montgomery County allow this disaster to continue?

Litigant

Comment #: MD6992
Rating:1.0

Comments:
My 9-year old son made repeated credible and thoroughly documented threats of to classmates and then the school counselor because his mother had led him to believe he'd be an orphan soon. The court's own custody evaluator had uncovered the fact his mother had drug, alcohol, and potentially undiagnosed mental health issues after interviewing family and my son, and filed a report recommending she be taken for a psychiatric evaluation. When my son threatened suicide, I petitioned the court for a protective order to remove his mother from our home. 'mental harm to a child' is a box to check on that form, and removing the antagonist from the home is a correct remedy. I got Judge Cho. She refused to look at any of the reports from counselors or custody evaluator. She says, 'I know what you and the counselors think you heard your son say, but...' followed by a bunch of random junk that made no sensem concluding with 'Your petition is denied, but you're welcome to appear.' Court staff, the counselors, and family were stunned. My aunt who's an svp at a corporation cancelled her meetings to go get my kid from his school before dismissal, and avoid a scene there. She took him to a relative's house while I went back to the lion's den to retrieve his clothes and necessities. Now the apartment is suing me for $13k because his mother declined to pay rent or leave. I'm ready to go to court and suggest they make Judge Cho pay it since 3 government agencies and the police all agreed the place was too dangerous for me and my son to live in, what with the hysterical mentally ill woman barricaded in there... At the least I'll see if the next judge would at least look at the documents judge cho ignored. It was akin to a fire department ignoring my 911 call and me getting sued for the house someone else burned down... (Already screwed, so whatever, right?) Gah...

Litigant

Comment #: MD6765
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Other users of this cite have complained that Judge Choo is rude. I did not find her to be any ruder than any other Montgomery County judge. I had a few speed camera cases before Judge Choo. Judge Choo would repeatedly tell litigants: "Don't tell me what the law is I know the law." I find it disturbing that a judge will not allow a litigant lawyer or lay to cite a statute or court ruling. Judge Choo also has unusual trial procedures. I attempted to ask the other side a question after they finished their statement Judge Choo told me that the point at which I could ask the other side a question had expired and it was time for me to make my closing. A bit strange and borderline incompetent but not rude.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6695
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Cho is rude to both litigants and attorneys. She cuts of attorneys who are trying to put objections on the record. She constantly interrupts attorneys when they are examining their client to ask questions. Unlike nearly every judge I've appeared before Judge Cho does not save her questions until the end of the examination, she jumps in whenever she feels like it.

Other

Comment #: MD6623
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I noticed her bias in family court. Disturbing that she has no interest in how a family with a mom with full custodial rights under the mother (white, blue eyes) has lived socially, religiously. She also ignored the ruling of a previous judge - dismissed it because she stated it was "too complicated". Its unclear what legal basis she used for this. She was rude to the defendant and attorney and clearly showed favor to the pro se other party. Her ultimate ruling did NOT take the children into account. It was also bizarre to observe how disorganized she and her clerks were in tbe courtroom! They mixed up docket numbers and filings! She had numerous delays locating docket items. She/they "lost" items during the full day hearing. She did not even have a copy of a previous judge's order yet she commented on it during proceedings by stating she knew it well! Totally reckless judge. She does not have any place in Family Court.

Other

Comment #: MD6576
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst judge ever. Good luck if you get her and pray like hell if a child's well being is involved in the case... she does not care and will not listen. O yea and don't be white, blonde hair or blue eyed... all odds are against you with this
Judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6053
Rating:2.6

Comments:
Judge Cho is okay as a District Court Judge, but she is incapable of handling anything particularly complicated, particularly on the civil side. I truly hope she is not appointed to the Circuit Court for her sake and the sake of the litigants that appear in front of her. She will be way out of her league.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD6014
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I learned that the Judicial Selection Commission has approved her for appointment to the Circuit Court. She deserves the elevation. She has ruled with an even hand in the District Court, has perfect judicial demeanor, and has always been fair.
I read the negative comments about her having released someone on bond who broke bad. Judges have to make release on bond decisions based mainly upon the likelihood of the defendants showing up for further court positions. She has done that fairly and cannot be held responsible for crimes committed by those out on bond anymore than a judge can be blamed for not giving long enough sentences to those who upon release commit more crime. Judges cannot lock up without bond every accused person waiting trial nor can a judge be blamed for not sentencing every convicted criminal to long sentences. The judges must show balance, and that is just what she has consistently done. She is fair and fearless. That is what we should want in a judge.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD5538
Rating:10.0

Comments:
This is one judge who has grown in her confidence and ability on the bench. She has always been hard working, a good student of the law. What she deserves credit for is that in spite of having been a prosecutor, she makes the assistant state's attorneys treat the bar fairly. The current state's attorneys office has many young assistants who do now understand how to temper power with solid judgment or how the law demands fair treatment of defendants and their lawyers. She is very fair.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD4716
Rating:10.0

Comments:
She ALWAYS rules fairly without favoring one side or the other in criminal cases. Prosecutors and defense attorneys must be prepared, just as she was as a successful defense attorney. On the bench she shows herself to be a nice person in the way that she treats the parties and the court staff. She is conscientious in her rulings, and when she has a case that requires research, she has shown herself willing to do the reading. She is a good role model for anyone seeking appointment to the District Court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD4645
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I will echo most of the other comments on her handling of civil litigation. She has already made up her mind. She does not seem to remember even first year law school contracts and property principles.

Other

Comment #: MD4602
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge let Johnnie Perkins out on bail on July 12, 2015 and on August 4th he murdered my sister. I want to know why she changed the commissioner's decision of no bail and gave him a bail. My family wants answers!!!!!!

Other

Comment #: MD4600
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge released multiple-convicted violent felon Johnnie Perkins into the community (rap sheet going back 23 yrs), against the advice of the Mtg Cty State's Attorney's office, after his re-arrest on more drug and gun charges since his recent early release in only 3 years for another violent crime for armed narcotics distribution (where he was sentenced to "10" yrs). He then proceeded 3 weeks later to shoot to death a woman in broad daylight in Germantown. Even the Mtg Cty Police Chief was outraged at how someone with such an extensive, violent record could walk out of the courtroom with no parole revocation or being held in jail.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD3797
Rating:10.0

Comments:
She is now one of the leading judges on the District Court bench. She rules fairly and cannot be deceived by false arguments. Nor does she bow to the more senior members of the bar. Just what all judges should aspire to be.

Litigant

Comment #: MD3777
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I saw this judge once in rent court and was appalled at how an attorney berated her for requiring the actual documentation evidencing a search was made on the Department of Defense website evidencing the defendant was not in the military. He stated, "How come your other colleagues do not require this?" I saw how frustrated and angry this attorney was. Fast forward a few years and I am a litigant in a case before this very same judge. She appeared biased towards me and I generally felt she did not like me. She was quite rude when I was testifying and her ruling was against me and completely absurd. I understood that attorney's frustration with her now. I truly believe she has inherent biases which prevent her from being a neutral administrator of justice. Very disappointed with this judge and I hope to never be in front of her again, or hopefully she gets transferred to another jurisdiction, as she was nice to everyone else except me, for no reason. She was a very unfair judge...VERY UNFAIR. She opted for the harshest result without any reasonable basis for doing so, with the exception of her inherent bias towards me.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD3430
Rating:10.0

Comments:
3421 must have been one of those who tormented her in high school and has not grown up as a lawyer, still wanting to torment her. I have watched her closely ever since she was selected for the District Court. She is kind, efficient, and most of all, she is strong and does not let the assistant sate's attorneys push her around in court. LIke the better judges, she has no tolerance for police who arrest of write tickets and don't show up. The citizens (and the lawyers) have a right to expect that the cases will come off on the days they are scheduled. She holds the state to that; they are on notice. She also is polite and judicial in her attitude and comments. She is one of the best and if she wants to be elevated, the governor would do well to appoint her to the circuit court.

Other

Comment #: MD3418
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I have to agree with some of these statements. I wasn't involved in a case with this judge but have escorted others and have observed her. Don't enter her court if you are white, blond, blue eyed. Sad.

Other

Comment #: MD3417
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Doesn't appear to listen to witnesses as evidenced by her snapping at witnesses to repeat answers claiming the answer made no sense but when answer repeated she says oh. Very strange behavior in the 2 times I've witnessed her. She might be kind to her staff but if she has a bias against someone, for what reason I don't know, racist? She's pretty rude.

Court Staff

Comment #: MD3406
Rating:10.0

Comments:
She is uniformly kind to all who appear in her court and respectful of the staff.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD3398
Rating:9.9

Comments:
She is firm and fair. She does not toady to the state and makes the state prove their cases and shows she knows exactly what constitutes reasonable doubt.

Show good humor on the bench while keeping control.

Litigant

Comment #: MD3346
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She comes into court with her mind made up before she hears testimony. She doesn't listen. She took one of my witnesses off the stand mid testimony and wouldn't let her finish and refused to hear the second witness. She is easily swayed by attorneys if they are in the public eye (running for political office etc) openly called a 20+ years victim of domestic violence, malicious in court in front of her abuser. She is curt and rude.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD3273
Rating:10.0

Comments:
She can be hard on the state when the state is unprepared. She will deny a continuance when the police fail to show up. This is what the judges on the District Court should do. Defendants should not have to appear twice to defend themselves, and the state has a duty to see to it that the police witnesses attend court ON TIME.

She also shows excellent judicial demeanor, listens, but moves the cases along. Her many years as both a prosecutor and defender have educated her well about the role of a judge to administer justice and not just rubber stamp the police accusations. She is one of the very best in the state.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD3179
Rating:2.0

Comments:
This Judge is clueless about contract law, or the common counts of litigation in Maryland civil practice. It's unfortunate that she is placed in a courtroom situation for civil cases where it's clear her bailiwick is criminal cases. Disservice to all involved. Disaster in making

Prosecutor

Comment #: MD3124
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Very smart, concerned, and not willing to accept police testimony without question. She was a brave private practitioner and has become a fearless judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD2949
Rating:2.2

Comments:
Poor disposition and management skills in courtroom. Lacks basic understanding of contract law.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD2414
Rating:10.0

Comments:
She is very fair in a court that must work very quickly. She wastes no time and listens. Has a good legal mind. You could not ask for more.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD2402
Rating:3.3

Comments:
Do not assume Judge Cho knows basic contract law. Although you are in District Court and there is a feeling that everyone is in a hurry you must explain the law to her carefully as she is unaware of simple contract law.

Other

Comment #: MD2195
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She has her mind made up to convict before court begins. She accepts statements from law enforcement officials on the calibration of equipment as true, without demanding that evidence be presented so that the defendant and judge can verify the validity of such statements.