Family, football and fairness--just a few of newly elected Circuit Court Judge Chris Hughes' favorite things.
Hughes was elected to the Lee County Circuit Judge position in 2010 after a lengthy career in law.
"I just found after practicing law for 20 years that the parts of the legal profession that I enjoy are the parts the judge does," Hughes said.
Hughes, Auburn native and Auburn University graduate, knows the community well.
"I grew up in Auburn," Hughes said. "My dad is a retired doctor, and my mom was a homemaker. They still live in the house in which I grew up."
In addition to growing up in Auburn, Hughes also has extended family in the area.
"My sister grew up here too, and she's a teacher in the civil engineering department," Hughes said. "My sister-in-law now lives here; my wife's aunt now lives here. So we have a lot of family who has moved into the area and a lot of family who has always lived here."
Hughes and his wife, Kathy, have two children: Ivy, who is in the sixth grade, and Mary Kate, who is in the seventh grade.
In 2011, Hughes said he is looking forward to "getting acclimated as quickly as possible on this job and to getting off to a good start and doing the best job I can."
Hughes has an optimistic outlook for the justice system.
"I think that there are so many new judges and a new district attorney coming in this year that I hope we can all work in concert with Judge Walker, who is the veteran judge," Hughes said. "And maybe work together and fine tune things and make sure that the new team, so to speak, works as well as the old one did, because they were terrific."
When Hughes is not in the courtroom, he enjoys being a football referee.
"I do it for high school and the occasional college junior varsity game or scrimmage," Hughes said.
Like every Auburn fan, Hughes cheered on the Tigers in the BCS National Championship game.
"I was here in Auburn, so we kind of made it a family affair," Hughes said. "Everybody from my daughter to my grandparents were all together watching it. We had a great time."
Hughes has begun his term as circuit court judge and looks forward to serving Lee County.
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