Terry A. Doughty

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Tenure

2018 - Present

Years in position

7

Prior offices:

Louisiana 5th Judicial District Court

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

Louisiana Tech University, 1981

Law

Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 1984

Personal

Birthplace

Rayville, LA

Contact

Official website

Terry A. Doughty is thechief judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on August 3, 2017, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on a recorded vote of 98-0 on March 6, 2018.^[1]

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Before becoming afederal judge, Doughty was a judge of the5th Judicial District inLouisiana from 2009 to 2018.

Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (2018-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

Doughty was nominated to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on August 3, 2017. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Doughty on March 6, 2018, by a vote of 98-0.^[1] He received commission on March 7, 2018.^[2] To read more about the federal nomination process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Terry A. Doughty
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Progress
Confirmed 215 days after nomination.
ANominated: August 3, 2017
AABA Rating:Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified (with one abstention)
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: November 1, 2017
QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: December 7, 2017
AConfirmed: March 6, 2018
AVote: 98 - 0

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Doughty on March 6, 2018, on a vote of 98-0.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Doughty confirmation vote (March 6, 2018)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	1
Republican	50	0	1
Independent	2	0	0
Total	98	0	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Doughty had his hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on November 1, 2017. The committee voted to advance Doughty's nomination to the full Senate on December 7, 2017.^[1]

Nomination

PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Doughty on August 8, 2017. Doughty was nominated to replace JudgeRobert James, who assumedsenior status on May 31, 2016.^[1]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated Doughtywell qualified by a substantial majority andqualified by a minority for the position.^[3] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

5th Judicial District, Louisiana (2009-2018)

Doughty was a judge of the5th Judicial District inLouisiana from 2009 to 2018. He was elected inJuly 2008 (effective the followingJanuary) to replace retired JudgeGlenn W. Strong.^[4][5][6]

Doughty was re-elected in 2014 for a term beginning on January 1, 2015. He left office in 2018 to become a federal judge.

2014 election

See also:Louisiana judicial elections, 2014

Doughty ran for re-election to the5th Judicial District. As an unopposed candidate, he was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot.^[7]

Education

Doughty graduated with aJ.D. from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1984.^[8]

Professional career

• 2018 - Present: Judge,United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

• 2022 - Present: Chief judge

• 2009-2018: Judge,Louisiana's 5th Judicial District
• 1984-2008: Private practice,Rayville, La.^[4][9]

About the court

Western District of Louisiana
Fifth Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 7
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Terry A. Doughty
Active judges:James D. Cain, Jr.,Terry A. Doughty,Jerry Edwards Jr.,Maurice Hicks,David C. Joseph,Robert Summerhays,Alexander Van Hook Senior judges: Dee Drell,Elizabeth Erny Foote,Robert James,Tucker Melancon,James Trimble,Donald Walter

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is one of 94United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, based inNew Orleans, at theJohn Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.

The Western District of Louisiana hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Western District of Louisiana consists of all the followingparishes in the western part of the state ofLouisiana.^[10]

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

• The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
• The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

• As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

• After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

• If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
• If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

• The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

• If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
• If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

• United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
• United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
• 5th Judicial District, Louisiana
• Louisiana District Courts

External links

Suggest a link

• Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
• United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
• United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges nominated to Article III courts byDonald Trump
2017	Thomas Parker •Elizabeth Branch •Neil Gorsuch •Amul Thapar •David C. Nye •John K. Bush •Kevin Newsom •Timothy J. Kelly •Ralph Erickson •Scott Palk •Trevor McFadden •Joan Larsen •Amy Coney Barrett •Allison Eid •Stephanos Bibas •Donald Coggins Jr. •Dabney Friedrich •Greg Katsas •Steven Grasz •Don Willett •James Ho •William L. Campbell Jr. •David Stras •Tilman E. Self III •Karen Gren Scholer •Terry A. Doughty •Claria Horn Boom •John Broomes •Rebecca Grady Jennings •Kyle Duncan •Kurt Engelhardt •Michael B. Brennan •Joel Carson •Robert Wier •Fernando Rodriguez Jr. •Annemarie Carney Axon •
2018	Andrew Oldham •Amy St. Eve •Michael Scudder •John Nalbandian •Mark Bennett •Andrew Oldham •Britt Grant •Colm Connolly •Maryellen Noreika •Jill Otake •Jeffrey Beaverstock •Emily Coody Marks •Holly Lou Teeter •Julius Richardson •Charles B. Goodwin •Barry Ashe •Stan Baker •A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. •Terry F. Moorer •Susan Baxter •William Jung •Alan Albright •Dominic Lanza •Eric Tostrud •Charles Williams •Nancy E. Brasel •James Sweeney •Kari A. Dooley •Marilyn J. Horan •Robert Summerhays •Brett Kavanaugh •David Porter •Liles Burke •Michael Juneau •Peter Phipps •Lance Walker •Richard Sullivan •Eli Richardson •Ryan Nelson •Chad F. Kenney, Sr. •Susan Brnovich •William M. Ray, II •Jeremy Kernodle •Thomas Kleeh •J.P. Hanlon •Mark Norris •Jonathan Kobes •Michael Brown •David Counts
2019	Eric Miller •Chad Readler •Eric Murphy •Neomi Rao •Paul Matey •Allison Jones Rushing •Bridget S. Bade •Roy Altman •Patrick Wyrick •Holly Brady •David Morales •Andrew Brasher •J. Campbell Barker •Rodolfo Ruiz •Daniel Domenico •Michael Truncale •Michael Park •Joseph Bianco •Raúl Arias-Marxuach •Daniel Collins •Joshua Wolson •Wendy Vitter •Kenneth Kiyul Lee •Kenneth Bell •Stephen Clark •Howard Nielson •Rodney Smith •Jean-Paul Boulee •Sarah Daggett Morrison •Rossie Alston •Pamela A. Barker •Corey Maze •Greg Guidry •Matthew Kacsmaryk •Allen Winsor •Carl Nichols •James Cain, Jr. •Tom Barber •J. Nicholas Ranjan •Clifton L. Corker •Peter Phipps •Daniel Bress •Damon Leichty •Wendy W. Berger •Peter Welte •Michael Liburdi •William Shaw Stickman •Mark Pittman •Karin J. Immergut •Jason Pulliam •Brantley Starr •Brian Buescher •James Wesley Hendrix •Timothy Reif •Martha Pacold •Sean Jordan •Mary Rowland •John M. Younge •Jeff Brown •Ada Brown •Steven Grimberg •Stephanie A. Gallagher •Steven Seeger •Stephanie Haines •Mary McElroy •David J. Novak •Frank W. Volk •Charles Eskridge •Rachel Kovner •Justin Walker •T. Kent Wetherell •Danielle Hunsaker •Lee Rudofsky •Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini •Steven Menashi •Robert J. Luck •Eric Komitee •Douglas Cole •John Sinatra •Sarah Pitlyk •Barbara Lagoa •Richard Myers II •Sherri Lydon •Patrick Bumatay •R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker •Anuraag Singhal •Karen Marston •Jodi Dishman •Mary Kay Vyskocil •Matthew McFarland •John Gallagher •Bernard Jones •Kea Riggs •Robert J. Colville •Stephanie Dawkins Davis •Gary R. Brown •David Barlow • Lewis Liman
2020	Lawrence VanDyke •Daniel Traynor •John Kness •Joshua Kindred •Philip Halpern •Silvia Carreno-Coll •Scott Rash •John Heil •Anna Manasco •John L. Badalamenti •Drew Tipton •Andrew Brasher •Cory Wilson •Scott Hardy •David Joseph •Matthew Schelp •John Cronan •Justin Walker •Brett H. Ludwig •Christy Wiegand •Thomas Cullen •Diane Gujarati •Stanley Blumenfeld •Mark Scarsi •John Holcomb •Stephen P. McGlynn •Todd Robinson •Hala Jarbou •David Dugan •Iain D. Johnston •Franklin U. Valderrama •John Hinderaker •Roderick Young •Michael Newman •Aileen Cannon •James Knepp •Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson •Toby Crouse •Philip Calabrese •Taylor McNeel •Thomas Kirsch •Stephen Vaden •Katherine Crytzer •Fernando Aenlle-Rocha •Charles Atchley •Joseph Dawson
2025	Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain
2026	Alexander Van Hook•Megan Benton•Aaron Peterson

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Active judges	•  Maurice Hicks  •  Robert Summerhays  •  Terry A. Doughty  •  James Cain, Jr.  •  David Joseph  •  Jerry Edwards Jr.  •  Alexander Van Hook
Senior judges	Tucker Melancon  •  Donald Walter (Louisiana)  •  Dee Drell  •  James Trimble  •  Robert James  •  Elizabeth Erny Foote  •
Magistrate judges	Mark Hornsby  •  Joseph H.L. Perez-Montes  •  Carol B. Whitehurst  •  Kayla McClusky  •
Former Article III judges	Patricia Minaldi  •  Richard Haik  •  Rebecca Doherty  •  John Dick  •  Thomas Bolling Robertson  •  Samuel Hadden Harper  •  Philip Kissick Lawrence  •  Theodore Howard McCaleb  •  Henry Boyce  •  Alexander Boarman  •  John Duhe  •  W. Eugene Davis  •  George Whitfield Jack  •  Tom Stagg  •  Gaston Porterie  •  Benjamin Dawkins, Jr.  •  Benjamin Dawkins, Sr.  •  Edwin Hunter  •  F.A. Little  •  Richard Putnam  •  Nauman Scott  •  John Shaw (Louisiana)  •  Earl Veron  •  Michael Juneau  •
Former Chief judges	Richard Haik  •  Tom Stagg  •  Dee Drell  •  Benjamin Dawkins, Jr.  •  Benjamin Dawkins, Sr.  •  Edwin Hunter  •  F.A. Little  •  Nauman Scott  •  John Shaw (Louisiana)  •