PORT ANGELES — John Doherty, a former Clallam County District Court judge in Port Angeles and the current Quileute tribal court judge in LaPush, has been appointed to serve the remainder of Erik Rohrer’s term on the bench of Clallam County District Court No. 2 in Forks.
Doherty, 64, was appointed late today after Commissioners Mike Chapman, Jim McEntire and pro-tem Commissioner Bryon Monohon, who is the mayor of Forks, interviewed three candidates in an open meeting.
County Commissioner Mike Doherty, who is John Doherty’s brother, disqualified himself from the interview process because of a conflict of interest.
John Doherty — a longtime lawyer, judge and public servant — was appointed by a 2-1 vote.
McEntire said he favored Cathy Marshall of Sequim by a slight margin. Marshall, an attorney, is the section chief for the Attorney General’s Office in Port Angeles.
John Doherty’s appointment to the bench completes a three-judge shuffle in the Clallam County court system, which was prompted by the impending retirement of long-time Superior Court Judge Ken Williams.
Rohrer, who has presided over District Court No. 2 since 2001, defeated county Hearing Examiner Chris Melly in the November election to replace Williams on the Superior Court bench.
A five-member panel reviewed the resumes of each candidate and recommended three — Doherty, Marshall and Bellingham attorney Richard Petersen — for the commissioners to interview.
Attempts to reach John Doherty late today were unsuccessful.
Doherty is a graduate of Port Angeles High School, Peninsula College, Western Washington University and Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane.
He served two four-year years as Clallam County District Court No. 1 judge in Port Angeles.
He was defeated for re-election in 2002 by Rick Porter, then a senior prosecuting attorney for the county.
Porter focused his campaign against Doherty over the use of pro-tem (fill-in) judges and issues involving the collection of court fines. Porter has been re-elected several times and continues as the District Court No. 1 judge.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
