Malverne Justice James Dougherty Dies

Judge James W. Dougherty, long-time justice for the village of Malverne, died Friday at the age of 75.

Dougherty was serving his seventh term as Malverne's village justice, presiding over matters pertaining to the village code, at the time of his death. For his 25 years of dedicated service to the village, Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald recently presented Dougherty, who lived in Malverne, with a citation, which he accepted while surrounded by his extensive family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather.

Mayor McDonald released the following statement Saturday evening: 

“For a quarter of a century Judge Dougherty was a valued leader in our community, providing justice fairly and equally for everyone in the community.  He was respected and appreciated by the residents of Malverne and by his fellow judges in New York who elected him president of the N.Y. State Magistrates Association.  He will be missed by us all.  Our prayers and best wishes are with his wife Olga and his entire family." 

Dougherty had been practicing law since 1972. He started out as a village justice and worked his way through the various corporate offices to became the president of the Nassau County Magistrate's Association in 1991. His hard work later earned him the title of director and president of the New York State Magistrate's Association.

“Beside prestige, [this position] brought many innovations to the village by the state of New York,” Judge Dougherty told residents during the 2011 Meet the Candidates Night, when he ran unopposed for relection on the Malverne Independent Party ticket.

Dougherty is credited with many accomplishments during his time serving the village. He implemented a new system so that funds could be immediately transfered from New York State to the village of Malverne. What used to take four to five months now takes only two days, he explained.

During his tenure, Dougherty also streamlined Malverne's judicial system, combining the arraignment, conference, and sentencing procedures into one appearance in court rather than three separate steps to make the system more efficient.

“Defendants and attorneys have praised our court for fairness and expeditious handling of cases,” Justice Dougherty said.

Dougherty also assisted with bringing more that $5 million into the village and cutting the court's budget, leading to a $2 million surplus.  

Visitation services will take place Monday, Aug. 20, and Tuesday, Aug. 21, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at  (330 Hempstead Ave., Malverne).

A funeral will be held Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 9:45 a.m. at in Malverne.

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