As expected, Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Kevin Dougherty announced Tuesday he was running for the Democratic nomination for state Supreme Court.
Dougherty, administrative judge of the trial division for the largest county court system in Pennsylvania, released a video that includes endorsement cameos from District Attorney Seth Williams and Alba Martinez, former commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.
Dougherty, brother of the politically juiced electricians' union leader John J. Dougherty, has been a Common Please jurist since 2001. He was for nearly a decade the administrative judge of Family Court – where backers say he was tough on juvenile crime but also compassionate in helping turn around the lives of vulnerable youth.
"I want the black robe I wear to be viewed by those who come before me as a beacon of hope rather than a symbol of fear," Judge Dougherty is fond of saying.
There are three vacancies on the high court; Democrats and Republicans will each nominate three contenders in the May 19 primaries.