Charles W. Doughty, currently the senior Arizona attorney for the nonprofit DNA-People鈥檚 Legal Services, has been appointed by Gov. Katie Hobbs to fill the vacancy on the Coconino County Superior Court left by the retirement of Judge Elaine Fridlund-Horne.
鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful to Gov. Hobbs and her team for their consideration, and for the appointment. I sincerely appreciate all of the work that they have put in for this and the previous appointments, and I think they鈥檝e made some great choices at every stage,鈥� Doughty said the day after the announcement. 鈥淚鈥檓 very appreciative and very thankful for it to be me this go-around.鈥�
Prior to working for DNA-People鈥檚 Legal Services, Doughty spent approximately eight years as a public defender for the county. He also worked for the Arizona Attorney General鈥檚 Office and as an adjunct instructor at Northern Arizona University.
He serves on the board of directors for Native Americans for Community Action and The Literacy Center in Flagstaff. He will be winding down his involvement at his current organization ahead of formally joining the bench sometime in July. (An exact start date has not yet been confirmed.)
Doughty said he is looking forward to 鈥渁 different perspective, and the challenges that will come with having that new perspective and that new role. Looking forward to being able to take that head-on and get to work in a different capacity than I have been doing in order to serve and honor my community.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to me to recognize that this is not just my individual effort and accomplishment that made this happen,鈥� he added, expressing his gratitude to his wife, federal public defender Sarah Erlinder, as well as the rest of his family, colleagues and friends for their support.
鈥淚鈥檒l miss my colleagues; I鈥檒l miss my clients,鈥� Doughty said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the new opportunity and being able to see my former colleagues in a new and different light and to make decisions on behalf of the community members instead of advocating for them.鈥�
Doughty was one of four finalists for the position. The others included Coconino County prosecutor Bryan Shea, assistant U.S. attorney Paul Stearns and assistant Flagstaff city attorney Marianne Sullivan. Fridlund-Horne formally retired on April 30, after 14 years overseeing the court鈥檚 Division 4.
In her official statement on Doughty鈥檚 appointment, Hobbs said, 鈥淭hroughout his career, Charles Doughty has shown a commitment to serving people in need. He has further proven himself to be a leader and a highly capable attorney. I am proud to appoint him to the Coconino County Superior Court, where his compassion, knowledge and experience will continue to benefit the people of Arizona for years to come.鈥�