Albert J. Matricciani Jr. has a new favorite number -- three. That's how many times he applied for a judgeship before he was appointed by the governor to the Baltimore Circuit Court yesterday.
"Maybe three is the lucky number," Mr. Matricciani, 47, said.
Also yesterday, Gov. William Donald Schaefer appointed John H. Tisdale to a newly created seat on the 6th Circuit Court that serves Frederick and Montgomery counties.
To keep their judgeships, Mr. Matricciani and Mr. Tisdale will have to stand for election in 1996 for 15-year terms on the bench.
Mr. Matricciani, who is president-elect of the Baltimore City Bar Association, replaces Judge Ellen L. Hollander, who was appointed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in October.
For the last eight years, he has been a partner in the Baltimore firm of Whiteford, Taylor and Preston and is a member of the firm's commercial and construction litigation department.
Mr. Matricciani, who was a Legal Aid attorney for six years, envisions his service on the bench as a way to help people. "You can do a lot of good if you're conscientious and understanding," he said.
Being a judge has been one of his goals.
"I think I probably wanted to be judge for a very long time," said Mr. Matricciani, who found out about his appointment just before he left his home for work about 9 a.m.
Mr. Tisdale already had left for the office yesterday morning when his notification came. His wife called him at his Frederick firm, Tisdale, Clapp and Carper, and told him to call the governor's mansion in Annapolis immediately.
"She was in a state of shock," said Mr. Tisdale, 49, who also won a judgeship on his third try.