By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
With a new year, Tucker County will see a new Circuit Court Judge. As part of the redistricting by the State, Tucker and Preston Counties will merge into the new 22nd Judicial Circuit. As a result of this redistricting, Tucker County has new Judicial Candidates. Preston County native Hillary Bright is running for Circuit Court Judge as part of the new 22nd Judicial Circuit.
Bright said she thought that the combining of Tucker and Preston Counties into the new Judicial Circuit would be an extension of her community. Bright also said that the care she feels for the people of Preston County will translate to the residents of Tucker County, as well. “I’ve grown up in Preston County, I’ve live the majority of my life in Preston County, graduated from Preston High School, played sports at Preston High School.” Bright said. “I don’t have any ties to Tucker County, but with the inclusion of Tucker County into Preston County, that is going to be an extension of my community. That’s the way that I am going to view it.”
Bright stated her decision to run for Circuit Court Judge stems from a desire to ensure the process is fair. “We are really limited with what we can do as an advocate,” Bright said. “We are limited to our particular role in that particular case. I can’t advocate for others. When you are a judge, though, you are over the entire case and you are the person who is trying to make it a fair process and as someone who wants a fair process, that has prompted me to want to be Circuit Court Judge.”
Bright said she has been a practicing attorney for the past decade and in that time she has worked solely out of Kingwood. “I’ve been practicing law for almost 10 years,” Bright said. “I have been based out of Kingwood for the entirety of my time as a lawyer.”
Bright said she worked for a law firm after college and was based in their Kingwood office. After the firm she worked for dissolved in 2019, Bright started her own private office. Bright shares the office with her assistant and an office cat named Loki. “I officially opened my door here in April of 2019,” Bright said. “So I’ve been a small business owner for five years.”
“I have tried to be supportive of different community programs as a small business owner,” Bright said. “I think it is important that people take care of their communities and take care of their communities.”
Bright said she recognizes the value of agriculture and supporting school and community ag programs. Growing up, Bright said she participated in 4-H and FFA, as she came from a farming background. “I have a farming background,” Bright said. “I was in 4-H and FFA. So, it was important to me, becoming a business owner, that I continue to support programs that I was a part of that meant a lot to me growing up.”
Bright said she also supports school trade programs. One of the programs Bright said was the FFA Ham, Bacon and Egg Sale in Preston County where students raise a hog, have it butchered and cured, then auction the meat. The proceeds go to the students towards college or other future agricultural endeavors, according to Bright.“I think we need to look at alternatives to just college,” Bright said. “Providing a lot of different programs to kids because there is more than one way to make a living or make a really good living and college is not for everyone.”
Bright said her experience as an attorney is varied. According to Bright, she has handled civil litigation, abuse and neglect, as well as criminal cases in her career. “I do work in a lot of different areas,” Bright said. “So my practice experience is not just one or two things, I do civil litigation cases and I’ve done that through the entirety of my law practice, I do abuse and neglect cases and I have also handled some criminal cases.”
Bright said he knows the job will entail a lot of work, but that she is used to working hard. “I know it would be a lot of work,” Bright said. “I’m used to a lot of work. Its a workload that I’m not afraid of.”
Bright is a 2014 graduate of the WVU College of Law and has one daughter.
