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Kevin Dougherty

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Kevin Dougherty
Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2016
Preceded byRonald D. Castille
Personal details
Born (1962-05-19) May 19, 1962 (age 62)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesJohnny Dougherty (brother)
EducationTemple University (BA)
Antioch School of Law (JD)

Kevin M. Dougherty (born May 19, 1962)[1] is a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.[2][3] Before his election in 2015,[4] Dougherty had served on the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia since 2001,[5] serving as an administrative judge of the trial division.[6] His brother is convicted former labor leader John J. "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, who was the top fundraiser for his 2015 campaign.

Biography

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Dougherty grew up in South Philadelphia in what he described as a "very blue-collar, working-class neighborhood", and was the first from his family to graduate college, working three part-time jobs as he attended Temple.[7] He graduated from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1988, and is a graduate of Temple University.[7]

He was appointed to the bench by Governor Tom Ridge in 2001, and was elected to the first of two 10-year terms later that year,[5][7] receiving the most vote among 14 candidates. After his election, he requested to be assigned to the family division, where he felt he could have the most significant societal impact,[8] and has prided himself on helping families and children during his judicial career.[9] Dougherty became Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Division of Philadelphia Family Court in 2003.[8][9] There he implemented reforms like easing access to the court and what he called a "changing of the culture" among a judiciary of mostly older judges. He received 78 percent of the vote when he ran for retention in 2011, and received support from both Democrats and Republicans.[9]

He ran as a Democrat for Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015,[10] and was part of a Democratic sweep of all three court vacancies, along with David Wecht, and Christine Donohue. They defeated Republican candidates Judith Olsen, Michael George, and Anne Covey, in a campaign that saw more than $15 million in donations from special interests.[4] Dougherty received a "recommended" rating from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and received strong support from organized labor groups,[5] in part due to Dougherty's relationship with his brother, former Philadelphia labor leader John J. "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, who was convicted of fraud and embezzlement in 2023.[11][12] His brother was his campaign's top fundraiser,[5] raising more than $3.5 million.[12]

References

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  1. ^ American Bar Association Questionnaire
  2. ^ "Drawing determines court seniority". Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. December 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "New PA Supreme Court Justices Poised For Swearing In". 90.5 WESA. December 30, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Kraus, Scott; Sheehan, Dan; Assad, Matt (November 4, 2015). "Incumbents fare well in Lehigh Valley elections". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d "Snapshot look at candidates for Pa. appellate courts". Delaware County Daily Times. Associated Press. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Williams, Damon C. (October 31, 2015). "Black clergy group makes pick in state court race". Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Get to know the candidates for state Supreme Court". LNP Media Group. October 31, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "About Kevin". Kevin Dougherty for Supreme Court. 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Brandolph, Adam (May 1, 2015). "Philadelphia's Dougherty brothers spotlight differences as one vies for Supreme Court". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "David Wecht to seek state Supreme Court vacancy". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  11. ^ Rinde, Meir; Russell-Sluchansky, Carmen (December 7, 2023). "Johnny Doc found guilty of 70 counts of fraud and embezzlement". WHYY.
  12. ^ a b Palmer, Chris (November 3, 2015). "Dougherty, Dems, sweep historic Supreme Court race". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
2016–present 		Incumbent
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