Acting U.S. Attorney Announces Appointment of Former Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Cho to Serve as Magistrate Judge in Brooklyn Federal Court

Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, today announced that former Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) James R. Cho has been appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge. He will sit in federal court in Brooklyn. Mr. Cho was sworn in today by United States Chief District Court Judge Margo K. Brodie.

“I am proud that James Cho has been selected to serve as a Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.  James was an excellent AUSA who handled some of our Office’s most difficult and complex cases.  I am confident that as a federal judge, James will continue to serve the people of our district with integrity and a keen sense of fairness.” 

Mr. Cho served in the Office’s Civil Division for more than 12 years and, most recently, served as the Office’s Chief of Immigration Litigation and Chief of Bankruptcy Litigation.  Mr. Cho is a seasoned trial lawyer who litigated numerous complex affirmative and defensive matters.

Mr. Cho also previously served as the Civil Division’s training coordinator, where he was responsible for AUSA training, and on the Office’s hiring and diversity and inclusion committees.

As an AUSA, Mr. Cho represented the United States and its agencies and employees in some of the Office’s most challenging cases.  He brought affirmative civil enforcement lawsuits on behalf of the United States resulting in significant recoveries arising from fraud against the government or environmental violations.  He defended lawsuits challenging government actions, and employment, constitutional and tort claims against the federal government and its employees.  Mr. Cho also argued routinely before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Cho previously taught a course in government civil litigation as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and New York University Law School.  Mr. Cho also previously served as president of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York and the Asian American Bar Association of New York.

Before joining the Office, Mr. Cho worked in private practice.  He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School cum laude, and from the University of Michigan with high honors.

Mr. Cho will be the first Korean American to serve on the EDNY bench.