James J. Dietrich is running for a full term as a Maryland 6th Judicial Circuit Court judge serving Montgomery County. The nonpartisan seat is on the ballot in the Nov. 3, 2026, Maryland general election.
The race has five seats to fill, and voters may choose up to five candidates, according to BallotReady election data. Three other candidates are also certified for the ballot: Catherine H. McQueen, Sharon V. Burrell and Victor M. Del Pino. The 6th Judicial Circuit covers Montgomery County.
Candidate information
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Education: Bachelor of arts, Lemoyne College; juris doctor, Catholic University of America, 1995
- Bar admissions: Maryland, 1995; District of Columbia, 1997
- Professional memberships: Montgomery County Bar Association; Maryland State Bar Association
Experience and public service
Dietrich spent more than two decades as a prosecutor before joining the bench, according to his Maryland Manual On-Line biography and BallotReady profile data.
He began his career as an assistant state's attorney in Howard County in 1997, two years after earning his juris doctor from Catholic University of America and gaining admission to the Maryland bar. He was admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1997 as well, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line.
Dietrich served in the Howard County State's Attorney's Office from 1997 to 2018. He then moved to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, where he served as an assistant state's attorney from 2018 to 2025, according to BallotReady.
He took the bench in 2025 as a judge on the Maryland 6th Judicial Circuit Court, the position he seeks to hold through election. Dietrich is also listed as having served as an adjunct professor at Catholic University of America, according to BallotReady.
Dietrich is a member of both the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association, according to the Maryland Manual On-Line.
On the issues
The Bethesda Beacon did not receive candidate questionnaire responses from Dietrich at the time of publication.
About this race
The Maryland 6th Judicial Circuit Court judge race is nonpartisan, according to BallotReady. Five seats are open, and voters may select up to five candidates on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot.
This profile was built from publicly available candidate information, including the Maryland Manual On-Line and BallotReady. The Bethesda Beacon will update this profile if the candidate provides additional information before the election.
