Kevin M. Dougherty (born May 19, 1962)American Bar Association Questionnaire
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Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...

. Before his election in 2015, Dougherty had served on the

Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas In Pennsylvania, the courts of common pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (the state court system). The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. The name derives fr ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

since 2001, serving as an administrative judge of the trial division. His brother is convicted former labor leader John J. "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, who was the top fundraiser for his 2015 campaign.

Biography

Dougherty grew up in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

in what he described as a "very

blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...

, working-class neighborhood", and was the first from his family to graduate college, working three part-time jobs as he attended Temple. He graduated from the

Antioch School of Law Antioch School of Law was a law school in Washington, D.C. which specialized in public advocacy. The school now operates as the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL). The school was located in the hist ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1988, and is a graduate of

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

. He was appointed to the bench by Governor

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served in the Presidency of George W. Bush, George W. Bush administration as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003 and as the U ...

in 2001, and was elected to the first of two 10-year terms later that year, 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, and has prided himself on helping families and children during his judicial career. Dougherty became Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Division of Philadelphia Family Court in 2003. 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. He ran as a Democrat for Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015, and was part of a Democratic sweep of all three court vacancies, along with

David Wecht David Norman Wecht (born May 20, 1962) is an American attorney and jurist, who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania since 2016. Prior to his election in 2015, Wecht had served as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvani ...

, and

Christine Donohue Christine L. Donohue (born December 25, 1952) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Prior to her election to that court in 2015, she was an elected member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, a seat she had held since 2008. She had ...

. 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. Dougherty received a "recommended" rating from the

Pennsylvania Bar Association The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in Pennsylvania, United States. The association offers membership benefits, including publications, practice support, networking, and continuing ...

, and received strong support from organized labor groups, 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. His brother was his campaign's top fundraiser, raising more than $3.5 million.

References

External links

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Biography from "Kevin Dougherty for Supreme Court"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Kevin 1962 births Living people David A. Clarke School of Law alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Pennsylvania Democrats Politicians from Philadelphia Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Temple University alumni 21st-century American judges