Judge Stephen J. Dougherty: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Stephen J. Dougherty is a judge for the Onondaga County Court in the Fifth Judicial District of New York. He was elected to the County Court bench in 2016. Previously, Judge Dougherty served as a judge for the Syracuse City Court after being elected to the seat in 2003.

He is a registered Democrat.

Judge Dougherty received his B.S.W. from the University of Texas in 1981. He went on to earn his J.D. from Albany Law School in 1986.

Prior to his election to the City Court, Dougherty was serving as chief assistant district attorney with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. He originally joined the D.A.’s office in 1993.

During his tenure on the Syracuse City Court, Judge Dougherty was appointed in 2014 to serve as the supervising judge of the Court by the late Hon. James C. Tormey, III, former Administrative Judge of the Fifth Judicial District. In that role, Judge Dougherty was tasked with supervising the Syracuse City Court judges and its support staff. He was also instrumental in helping to establish multiple problem-solving courts within the City Court which included the Adolescent Diversion Court, the Human Trafficking Court, and the Animal Cruelty Court. He also helped to implement the Domestic Violence Court, for which he presided on and also holds the distinction of being the longest tenured domestic violence judge in the State of New York. Prior to his election to the County Court, Judge Dougherty served as an acting judge of the Court for ten years.

He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York.