Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced 14 appointments to positions across Alabama, including John Hunter Fikes as district judge in the 25th Judicial Circuit in Marion County.
Fikes will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of longtime District Judge Mark Hammitte, which took effect April 1, 2026.
Fikes graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2010 and from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 2014. He has served as an attorney and owner of Fikes Law Firm in Hamilton for the past 12 years.
“Hunter Fikes brings a broad knowledge of the law with more than a decade of courtroom experience covering juvenile, criminal defense, probate, family and civil litigation,” Ivey said. “He is well known in Marion County for professional representation of individuals, business and government clients, and for assuming quasi-judicial municipal roles requiring impartial decision-making, statutory interpretation and fair administration of public hearings. His legal experience and fair application of the law will serve the court and the people of Marion County well.”
Fikes was notified of his appointment Friday.
“I am honored by Governor Ivey’s appointment and grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Marion County,” Fikes said. “I was raised here, and my wife and I are now raising our children here, so this community means a great deal to me. For more than a decade, I have had the privilege of practicing in our local courts, and I have developed a deep respect for the important role this court plays in our community. I am committed to ensuring that every case is handled fairly, efficiently and in accordance with the law.”
Ivey also announced 13 other appointments. She appointed Lee Alley, Mary Taddeo and Jessica Green to the Elevator Safety Review Board. She also named Wes Kelley, A.R. “Rey” Almodovar, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, retired, Jim Rogers, Lisa Williams, Col. Roosevelt Lewis, retired, Nicole Faulk, Mary Scott Hunter and Joseph Pelfrey to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission. In addition, she appointed Tonya Killingsworth to the Barbour County Board of Registrars.
