Judges & Magistrates

Administrative Judge & Associate Judges

The following is a listing of the Montgomery County Circuit Court Judges. Clicking on any of the judges' names will bring you to a biography in the Maryland Manual On-Line:

Contact the Judges

James A. Bonifant, Circuit & County Administrative Judge

Carlos F. Acosta, Associate Judge

Marybeth Ayres, Associate Judge

Bibi M. Berry, Associate Judge

Sharon V. Burrell, Associate Judge

Theresa M. Chernosky, Associate Judge

Jeannie Eun Kyung Cho, Associate Judge

Jill R. Cummins, Associate Judge

Kathleen M. Dumais, Associate Judge

Debra L. Dwyer, Associate Judge

Jennifer S. Fairfax, Associate Judge

Christopher C. Fogleman, Associate Judge

Kevin G. Hessler, Associate Judge

David W. Lease, Associate Judge

Louis M. Leibowitz, Associate Judge

John M. Maloney, Associate Judge

Michael J. McAuliffe, Associate Judge

J. Bradford McCullough, Associate Judge

Rachel McGuckian, Associate Judge

Margaret M. Schweitzer, Associate Judge

Karla N. Smith, Associate Judge

Harry C. Storm, Associate Judge

Circuit Court Judges

Family & Juvenile Division Magistrates

The following is a list of magistrates at the Circuit Court. Magistrates are assigned to hear actions and matters in the categories listed in Maryland Rule 9-208:

  • Family law:
    1. uncontested divorce, annulment, or alimony;
    2. alimony pendente lite;
    3. child support pendente lite;
    4. support of dependents;
    5. preliminary or pendente lite possession or use of the family home or family-use personal property;
    6. subject to Rule 9-205, pendente lite custody of or visitation with children or modification of an existing order or judgment as to custody or visitation;
    7. subject to Rule 9-205 as to child access disputes, constructive civil contempt by reason of noncompliance with an order or judgment relating to custody of or visitation with a minor child, the payment of alimony or support, or the possession or use of the family home or family-use personal property, following service of a show cause order upon the person alleged to be in contempt;
    8. modification of an existing order or judgment as to the payment of alimony or support or as to the possession or use of the family home or family-use personal property;
    9. counsel fees and assessment of court costs in any matter referred to a magistrate under this Rule;
    10. stay of an earnings withholding order; and
    11. such other matters arising under this Chapter and set forth in the court's case management plan filed pursuant to Rule 16-302 (b).
  • Juvenile law:
    • Child in Need of Assistance (CINA)
    • Child in Need of Supervision (CINS)
    • Delinquency

    • Contact the Family Magistrates

    Robert J. Goldman, Family Magistrate

    Lili Khozeimeh, Family Magistrate

    Sarah Malik, Family Magistrate

    Danielle R. Sartwell, Family Magistrate

    Holly A. Whittier, Family Magistrate

    Contact the Juvenile Magistrate

    Lena Kim, Juvenile Magistrate

Special Magistrate

The functions of the Special Magistrate are: management of the motions practice for civil (domestic and non-domestic) cases and management of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program.

Contact the Special Magistrate

Martha Hidalgo-Rubio - Special Magistrate

Senior Judges

Senior Judges are called upon to hear settlement conferences, status conferences, pretrial conferences, and to try cases if necessary. The Senior Judges are as follows:

Contact the Senior Judges

  • Marielsa A. Bernard
  • Cynthia Callahan
  • Thomas L. Craven
  • John W. Debelius, III
  • Robert A. Greenberg
  • Ann S. Harrington
  • Eric M. Johnson
  • Richard E. Jordan
  • Michael D. Mason
  • Cheryl A. McCally
  • Mary Beth McCormick
  • Terrence J. McGann
  • Joseph M. Quirk
  • William J. Rowan, III
  • Ronald B. Rubin
  • Nelson W. Rupp, Jr.
  • Joan E. Ryon
  • Katherine Savage
  • Steven G. Salant
  • Durke G. Thompson