ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore today announced the appointments of Catherine Huger McQueen to the Montgomery County Circuit Court; Thomas Richard Tompsett, Jr. to the Baltimore County Circuit Court; and Laura Joy Novello Fuggitti to the Prince George’s County District Court.

“I have full confidence that Catherine Huger McQueen, Thomas Richard Tompsett, and Laura Joy Novello Fuggitti will serve on the bench with distinction,” said Gov. Moore. “I thank these three Marylanders for their shared commitment to equal justice under law, and I applaud them for continuing to serve.”

Catherine Huger McQueen   

Catherine Huger McQueen has practiced law for more than 22 years and is currently a principal attorney in the family law practice group at Offit Kurman. McQueen has extensive experience in guardianship and conservatorship cases, serving both children and adults. She also handles disputes among family members regarding capacity and fiduciary issues related to powers of attorney, trusts, and estates. Before joining Offit Kurman, McQueen was an attorney at Selzer, Gurvitch, Rabin & Obecny LLC, a Bethesda-based firm, where she practiced civil litigation, family law, and construction litigation.

McQueen holds a bachelor's degree, *** laude, from Clemson University and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.

Thomas Richard Tompsett, Jr.

Thomas R. Tompsett Jr. has been a senior associate trial attorney and registered lobbyist with the firm Harris Jones & Malone for more than seven years. His practice has primarily focused on the legislative process at both the state and local levels, complemented by a litigation practice that emphasized criminal and administrative law matters. Before joining Harris Jones & Malone, Tompsett spent three years as the director of governmental affairs for the Maryland Multi-Housing Association and served for nine years as an assistant state's attorney for Baltimore County, focusing on violent crimes.

Tompsett holds a bachelor’s degree, *** laude, from Towson University and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law. 

Laura Joy Novello Fuggitti     

Laura Novello has been an associate county attorney in the litigation division of the Prince George’s County Office of Law since 2022. Before joining the Office of Law, she served as an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Prince George’s County for 12 years, where she served as the District Court supervisor. Before her tenure in Prince George’s County, Novello worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore City. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Lawrence Fletcher-Hill and the Honorable John N. Prevas in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

Novello holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.