Larry Joe Doherty
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Larry Joe Doherty (b. July 29, 1946) is a Texas legal ethics attorney and former television star of the show Texas Justice. He is currently a candidate for U.S Congress from the Democratic Party. He was born in Hillsboro, Texas, and is married to Joanne Doherty.
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[edit] 2008 Congressional election
On April 4, 2007, Doherty announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for the Tenth Congressional District of Texas, the seat currently held by Republican Michael McCaul. Doherty entered the race after McCaul's relatively low win percentage in the 2006 election.[1]
Doherty faced a Democratic primary challenger, Dan Grant, in the March 4, 2008 primary and won.
Doherty has faced critism from supporters of his primary opponent because his campaign treasurer, Houston philanthropist Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, supported Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. [1]
[edit] Legal career
Doherty received a J.D. from the University of Houston in 1970. He is a member of the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. Doherty is a senior partner in the Houston law firm Doherty, Long & Wagner. Doherty specializes in legal malpractice cases.
Doherty and his wife have endowed a Chair on Ethics at the University of Houston School of Law.
[edit] Television show
Doherty starred in the show Texas Justice from 2001-2005. The court show is currently in syndication. Doherty judged cases in the show, making legally binding decisions. The series lasted for 4 1/2 seasons, from January 2001 until it was canceled in September 2005.
Doherty's style on the show drew a contrast with other TV court shows that emphasize conflict between parties. Instead, Doherty was known for focusing on the root causes of the personal conflicts and emphasizing the importance of litigants to accept responsibility for their actions. According to a piece in Slate by Virginia Heffernan, "In his questioning, he looks for signs of affection and agreement.... He orchestrates things so that each case imparts a small emotional lesson ("be kind," "lighten up")." [2]
[edit] Environmentalism
Doherty is a former president of the Washington County Wildlife Society and a member of the Texas Wildlife Association and a past member of the Texas Quail Council, an official advisory group to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
[edit] References
- ^ CQ Politics | ’06 Dropoff by GOP Texan McCaul Has Dems Eyeing Prospects
- ^ Virginia Heffernan, "Y'all Rise: Texas Just is more forgiving than you think", Slate (May 23, 2002).
