Larry Joe Doherty

Larry Joe Doherty or LJD (b. July 29, 1946) is a Texas legal ethics attorney and former television star of the show Texas Justice. He is currently the Democratic candidate for the 10th Congressional District of Texas. He was born in Hillsboro, Texas, and is married to Joanne Doherty.

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. [ [http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002540815 CQ Politics | ’06 Dropoff by GOP Texan McCaul Has Dems Eyeing Prospects ] ] Doherty faced a Democratic primary challenger, Dan Grant in the March 4, 2008 primary, and won 61% to 39%.

During the primary, Doherty was criticized by supporters of his primary opponent because his campaign treasurer, Houston philanthropist Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, held a fundraiser for Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Doherty used the criticism as an opportunity to point out his political independence. "I'm not going to be anybody's rubber stamp, and my treasurer is free to support anybody he wants to," Doherty said. "This is an independent country, last time I checked." [http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/01/28/0128tenth.html]

If elected Doherty will join former illustrious actors Ben "Cooter" Jones and Fred "Gopher" Grandy in going from acting to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. If he is not elected he will join Shirley Temple and Noble Willingham in the ranks of actors that failed to win their House campaigns.

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 Law Center.

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")." [Virginia Heffernan, [http://www.slate.com/id/2066153/ "Y'all Rise: Texas Just is more forgiving than you think"] , "Slate" (May 23, 2002). ]

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. Doherty maintains the "Long Star Ranch," near Brenham, TX, as a 270-acre wildlife habitat and native grass restoration project.

References

External links

* [http://larryjoe.com Larry Joe Doherty for U.S. Congress] "official campaign website"
* [http://www.texasjusticetv.com/ Texas Justice TV show]
* [http://www.dlwlawyers.com Doherty, Long & Wagner]
* [http://opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=TX10&Cycle=2008 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org
* [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:681360 The Man in the White Hat] - "Austin Chronicle" - October 3, 2008