Judges appointed to county Circuit Court

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005

This story has been corrected from a previous version. For the full correction text, click here.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has appointed two District Court judges and a Rockville attorney to fill three vacancies on the Montgomery County Circuit Court. The appointments must stand for election to a 15-year term in the first election after their appointment.

All three — Attorney Ronald B. Rubin and District Judges Michael J. Algeo and Thomas L. Craven — said they plan to stand for election to full 15-year terms next year.

Michael J. Algeo

Algeo, 55, of Rockville was named to the Montgomery County District Court in 1999 after serving 11 years as a prosecutor in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, including as senior prosecutor in the felony trial unit.

Algeo describes himself as a ‘‘late bloomer.” After he dropped out of college, he joined the Air Force and served a year in Vietnam.

‘‘When I got out, I realized how important education was and got a degree in secondary education,” Algeo said. He taught school for several years, but in 1980, when he was 30, he returned to school for a law degree from the American University.

After law school, he clerked for a Circuit Court judge and decided he wanted to become a judge some day.

Algeo teaches law courses now at American University and in Montgomery College’s paralegal program.

‘‘At Montgomery College, I have a lot of older students and I tell them it’s never too late to follow your dream,” he said.

Thomas L. Craven

Craven, 63, who lives in Bethesda with his wife, has been a District Court judge since 1994.

As a District Court judge, he oversaw thousands of cases, from traffic court to civil litigation.

‘‘I’ve enjoyed every day of the last 11-plus years working in this court,” Craven said. ‘‘We hear a lot of interesting civil litigation and criminal cases. A day doesn’t go by when something interesting doesn’t happen. ... Everyone who thinks this is a silk stocking county should come see what we see every day. The only thing consistent is the variety.”

Craven’s father and grandfather both obtained law degrees, but did not practice law.

Craven graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University in 1964 while a member of the Army Reserve. After a year in private industry, he returned to school and obtained his law degree from the American University in 1968.

Ronald B. Rubin

Rubin, 50, of North Potomac has been a defense attorney for corporations in civil cases for the past decade, including working as a law partner with his wife, Elisabeth Siegenthaler Rubin, at Rubin & Rubin in Rockville.

Rubin grew up in Missouri, the son of a used car salesman and a homemaker.

‘‘I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college, to even attend college,” he said. ‘‘And my wife is the first to go to college in her family. We’re from ordinary, poor families.”

He graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s in 1977 and earned a law degree from the Catholic University of America in 1980.

Rubin practiced law in New York City before he began his own firm in Rockville.

‘‘I’m honored the governor selected me,” he said. ‘‘While the merit selection process is very arduous and grueling, it’s absolutely fair.”

Correction, Nov. 8, 2005:The original version of this story incorrectly reported that Circuit Court judges have to be confirmed by the state Senate. They judges must stand for election to a 15-year term in the first election after their appointment. The story has been corrected.