Judge Nelson W. Rupp, Jr.: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Nelson W. Rupp, Jr. (Ret.) is a senior judge for the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland. Rupp was appointed to the bench on January 17, 1997. He retired on April 12, 2019 and joined the McCammon Group as a private mediator and arbitrator.

Rupp held assignments as the Presiding Judge of the Montgomery County Adult Drug Treatment Court. He also sat on the Drug Treatment Court Commission and the Maryland State Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council.

Prior to his appointment, Rupp was an associate judge for the Montgomery County District Court, a position to which he was named in 1993. Before that, he spent time as a partner at Jordan, Coyne, Savits & Lopata (1983 to 1993). He chaired the firm’s Maryland Litigation Team.

Rupp earned a bachelor’s degree from Denison University in 1970. He then completed a J.D. at the American University Washington College of Law in 1974. He is admitted to practice in Maryland (1974) and the District of Columbia (1976).

After graduating from law school, Rupp began his legal career as an assistant state’s attorney with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. He served in that capacity until 1977, at which time he joined the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender.

Rupp then became a deputy state’s attorney for the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office in 1980. His time there was brief. The following year, he joined the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he served as an assistant state’s attorney until 1983.

His memberships have included the Maryland State Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association. He also sat on the Board of Trustees of the McLean School of Maryland, the Parents’ Advisory Board of Gettysburg College, and the City of Rockville Alternative Community Services Commission.

He is a recipient of the Outstanding Jurist Award (1995) and the Community Service Award (2015) from the Montgomery County Bar Association as well as the Award for Legal Excellence in the Advancement of the Rights of the Disadvantaged from the Maryland Bar Foundation (2020).

Rupp was raised in Bethesda, Maryland, where he attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.