--- title: "Catherine Chen | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-chen-md-circuit-baltimore-city" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Catherine Chen Circuit Court for Baltimore City · Judge ## Profile - Court: Circuit Court for Baltimore City - State: Maryland - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### remote proceedings Scope: statewide Maryland trial courts may conduct remote electronic proceedings when authorized by rule, and the court may permit or require participants to appear by remote electronic communications. Evidence excerpt: the court may permit or require one or more participants, or all participants, to join the proceeding by means of remote electronic communications. [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote recording Scope: statewide For Maryland remote proceedings, the required recording is made by the court, and participants should not make their own audio or video recording unless the court permits it. Evidence excerpt: Proceedings conducted via videoconferencing technology must be recorded by the court [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic devices Scope: statewide Maryland permits electronic devices in court facilities only in accordance with court rules and orders; attorneys may use devices reasonably for a proceeding if silent, positioned away from the trier of fact or witnesses, not used for recording, and not used for unauthorized communication. Evidence excerpt: attorneys are permitted the reasonable and lawful use of an electronic device in connection with the proceeding provided that [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### photography video recording Scope: statewide Maryland prohibits taking, recording, or transmitting photographs, videos, or other visual images in court facilities unless the court expressly grants permission in a specific instance. Evidence excerpt: The taking, recording, or transmitting of photographs, videos, or other visual images by cell phone or any other device is prohibited in the court facility at all times [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Official roster](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Maryland Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) - [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-chen-md-circuit-baltimore-city", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-chen-md-circuit-baltimore-city", "name": "Catherine Chen | KnowJudges", "description": "Catherine Chen, Circuit Court for Baltimore City. 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(2003) - Tufts University - B.A., Developmental Psychology, 1999 ### Additional information - She is a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation since 2019 and has volunteered on the Teen Court Advisory Board in Baltimore City - She co-chaired the annual Judicial Conference in 2022 and 2023 and taught courses at the Judicial College on topics such as consumer debt collection, rent court, sex offender dynamics, and foundations of criminal law Governor Wes Moore appointed Chen to the Baltimore City Circuit Court on June 4, 2025, and she was sworn in on June 25, 2025 - Governor Larry Hogan appointed Chen to the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City on June 6, 2018, and she was sworn in on June 21, 2018 - From 2014 to 2018, she held the role of an Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore City’s Special Victims Unit, prosecuting cases involving intimate partner violence, child abuse, and child pornography - Public defender for juveniles in the Bronx and Brooklyn (2005–2008) and later as an attorney for the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center (2008–2009) and the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Clinic (2010–2014) - During her tenure, she served on multiple committees, including the Rules Committee, Domestic Violence and Peace Order Subcommittee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, Forms Subcommittee, and Civil Law Subcommittee - She continues to serve on the Rules Committee and other subcommittees and teaches at the Judicial College, most recently on the Fourth Amendment - Chen is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, Baltimore City Bar Association, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8d7f2b6c1b52f4889f91cdbe) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings). Collected 2026-07-26. - [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-9a7f81ce806c87a1ae6dac48) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice). Collected 2026-07-26.