Chris Hughey Named FMC General Counsel

U.S. federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei announced Phillip C. “Chris” Hughey has been hired as the General Counsel of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.

In his capacity as General Counsel to the Commission, Hughey will provide legal advice and recommendations to the Chairman and Commissioners on regulatory and policy matters. He will serve as a member of the agency’s senior management team and will also be responsible for supervising the work of attorneys assigned to the Office of the General Counsel.

Hughey began his career in public service in 1997 as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the FMC, and later served as the Commission’s Deputy General Counsel.  In 2007, he joined the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as its Deputy General Counsel, and was designated as the FEC’s Acting General Counsel from August 2010 to September 2011. Hughey assumes his new role at the FMC following a ten-year career in the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer, where his postings included Brazil, Kuwait, and Madagascar.

“We are fortunate to have Chris Hughey join the Commission as the General Counsel. His prior FMC experience and litigation background is valuable. He is uniquely qualified to assume these duties and my colleagues and I will benefit from his legal counsel,” said Chairman Maffei.

Hughey possesses extensive experience as a litigator, having argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Fourth Circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Hughey earned J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Cornell University in 1996, an MPA from Harvard University in 2007, and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1993.   He is admitted to the bars of the State of New York, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.