--- title: "Terry Alvin Doughty | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-alvin-doughty" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Terry Alvin Doughty U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Current position: Chief U.S. District Judge, W.D. Louisiana (since Dec 5, 2022) - The Chief United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, a position he has held since December 5, 2022 - Judge, District Court, W.D. Louisiana, 2018-present - Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - from 2022 - Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - from 2018 - Judge, Fifth Judicial District Court, Louisiana, Division A - 2009 to 2018 - Chief judge of the district from 2013 to 2014 - In 2008, Doughty was elected Judge of the Louisiana District Court, Fifth Judicial District, succeeding Glenn W. Strong - Partner — Cotton, Bolton, Hoychick & Doughty - 1987 to 2008 - Assistant district attorney, Richland, Franklin, and West Carroll Parishes, Louisiana (part-time), 1985-2008 - Assistant District Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District of Louisiana (1985–2008) - Associate — Cotton, Bolton & Hoychick - 1984 to 1987 ### Education - Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College — J.D. (1984) - Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in — J.D. (1984) - B.S. in Finance from Louisiana Tech University in 1981 ### Additional information - As Chief Judge since 2022, Doughty presides over the Western District of Louisiana’s federal court, which covers the parishes of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, and West Carroll. - confirmed by Senate 98-0 on March 6, 2018. - commission received March 7, 2018. - He served from January 1, 2009, until his retirement in 2018, presiding over criminal, civil, and juvenile cases in Franklin, Richland, and West Carroll parishes. - On August 3, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Doughty to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, filling the seat vacated by Robert G. James. - received the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Citizen Lawyer Award in 2015 - Chief Judge 2013-2014; re-elected 2014; received Citizen Lawyer Award from Louisiana State Bar Association in 2015 - Private practice, Rayville, LA, 1984-2008 - Before entering the judiciary, Doughty practiced law in Rayville at Cotton, Bolton, Hoychick & Doughty (1984–2008). - Doughty was born in 1959 in Rayville, Richland Parish, Louisiana. - Date of birth: 1959-01-01 - Succeeded S. Maurice Hicks Jr. as Chief Judge. - incumbent chief. - Presided over criminal, civil, and juvenile cases in Franklin, Richland, and West Carroll Parishes. - handling misdemeanor and felony cases, post-conviction matters, and juvenile cases - Birth place: Rayville, LA ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4273111) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4273111) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4273111) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8571/terry-alvin-doughty/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8571/terry-alvin-doughty/) - [Wikidata: Terry A. Doughty](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q34808225) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1398829) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_A._Doughty) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://vettingroom.org/2017/10/30/judge-terry-doughty/) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Western_District_of_Louisiana) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8571/terry-alvin-doughty/) - [Wikidata: Terry A. Doughty](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q34808225) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-alvin-doughty", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-alvin-doughty", "name": "Terry Alvin Doughty | KnowJudges", "description": "Terry Alvin Doughty, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.