Thomas L. Doherty
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Thomas L. Doherty is a circuit judge for the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. He serves in Sycamore.[1] Doherty was elected in 2010 and successfully ran for retention in 2016.
Education
Doherty attended St. Mary Catholic and public schools in DeKalb, Illinois. He went on to earn a business degree from Northern Illinois University, and his J.D. from Northern Illinois University Law in 1986.[2][3]
Career
After high school, Doherty briefly attended Northern Illinois University but left after academic difficulties in 1966 to join the Marine Corps Reserve. In 1972 he was honorably discharged with rank of Sergeant.[3]
After returning to Northern Illinois University to complete his undergraduate degree in business, Doherty owned and operated a real estate brokerage from 1975 to 1983. He then went back to earn his J.D. from Northern Illinois University Law and graduated in 1986. Prior to his judicial service, Doherty served as DeKalb County Attorney for 24 years and practiced law in the DeKalb area with his son, Mark.[2]
In November 2010, Doherty was elected circuit judge for the Illinois Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court. In December 2012, he was assigned to the newly created Illinois Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Court.[4]
Awards and associations
Doherty is a member of the DeKalb County and Illinois Bar Associations as well as the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers’ Association.[5]
Elections
2016
Judges of the Illinois Circuit Court stand for retention after their first full term. To be retained, a judge must receive at least 60 percent of the vote.[6][7] Thomas L. Doherty was retained in the Illinois Twenty-Third Circuit Court, Thomas Doherty Retention Election with 80.75 percent of the vote.
| Illinois Twenty-Third Circuit Court, Thomas Doherty Retention Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Thomas L. Doherty | 80.75% | |
| Source: Illinois Board of Elections, "Elections Results, General Election 11/8/2016," accessed November 28, 2018 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[8]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[8]
The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[9][8]
Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[8]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[8]
- a U.S. citizen;
- a circuit/county resident; and
- licensed to practice law in Illinois.
2010
- See also: Illinois judicial elections, 2010
Doherty defeated Democrat T. Jordan Gallagher with 54.33% of the vote in the general election.[10][11][12] [13]
See also
External links
- Illinois Courts: Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Website
- Thomas L. Doherty Campaign Flier 2010
- Northern Star, "Tom Doherty takes 16th Judicial Court Judge spot over incumbent," November 3, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Circuit Court Judges by Circuit," 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tom Doherty Campaign Website, "Biography," October 6, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chicago Tribune, “Editorial board endorsements”, March 14, 2010
- ↑ Illinois Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Court, "Administrative Order 12-14," December 3, 2012
- ↑ Northern Illinois University Law, "Five New Alumni Judges Bring Total to 71," December 16, 2010
- ↑ Illinois State Bar Association, "Judicial Evaluations - How it works," accessed November 19, 2019
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ State of Illinois, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, General Election Results, November 2, 2010
- ↑ Illinois State Bar Association, "Tuesday's judicial results for all circuit outside of Cook," November 2010
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, General Election Candidate List, November 2, 2010
- ↑ Illinois Judges.net, 2014 Illinois Judicial Elections
