The Hon. James W. Dougherty Memorial Award was established in 2014 in memory of the late Hon. James W. Dougherty, who served as Village Justice of Malverne from 1987 to 2012, who was a past President of the Nassau County Magistrates Association in 1991-92, a recipient of the Nassau County Magistrates Association Hon. Frank J. Santagata Award in 2004, a past President of the New York State Magistrates Association in 2003, and a recipient of the New York State Magistrates Association Magistrate of the Year Award in 2008. The Award is presented by the Nassau County Magistrates Association when appropriate to a Nassau County Magistrates Court Clerk for exemplary ethics, professionalism and devotion to justice for all. It is presented to a Magistrate Court Clerk selected by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Board of Directors who has provided extraordinary or exceptional service and assistance in administering the Court in accordance with the criteria listed for The Hon. Frank J. Santagata Memorial Award.
The past recipients of The Honorable James W. Dougherty Memorial Award are:
- 2025 Elizabeth Bernardes – Village of Mineola
- 2024 Kathleen Kleinschmidt – Village of Valley Stream
- 2023 Rosemarie Onorato – Village of Kings Point
- 2022 Sharon A. Moses – Village of Old Brookville
- 2021 Susan Egan, Village of East Williston and Sea Cliff
- 2020 Donna Verney, Village of Great Neck
- 2018 Donald Phillips, Court Clerk – Village of Floral Park
- 2017 Kathleen MaCkney, Court Clerk – Village of Sea Cliff
- 2016 Sinina Talley, Court Clerk – Hempstead
- 2016 Margaret Egan, Court Clerk – Stewart Manor, Ret.
- 2015 Ursula M. Odierna, Court Clerk – Williston Park, Ret.
- 2014 Linda McCartney, Village Court Clerk – Malverne