If there is one thing for certain, Susan Fuqua’s passion in the Municipal Court system is to serve the City of Hoover by providing rehabilitation and safety programs to the community.
Susan started with the City in 1990, as Court/Clerk Head Magistrate. At that time, Hoover had less than 300 employees and a population of approximately 40,000. Thirty years later, Susan now serves as Court Director and the city has grown to nearly 800 employees and nearly 90,000 residents.
Susan considers helping to form the Alabama Municipal Court Clerks & Magistrates Association as her greatest professional achievement.
“Keeping Magistrates educated on the laws was extremely important to court procedures,” she explains. She went all the way to the Alabama Supreme Court to make it happen. The measure later went to the Alabama Legislature and is now the only program of its kind in the state, requiring mandatory certification classes and yearly continuing education classes for court clerks and magistrates.
“The association has given municipal courts a voice in the judicial system and the state Legislature,” Susan says.
Susan is proud of how the court system is changing lives by providing users with alternative programs and tools to help them overcome barriers.
“Having our own drug lab and Court Referral Officers allows us to devote the time necessary for each individual,” she says. “It is heartfelt when we get very good response letters from people saying their lives have changed for the better.”
It’s no wonder Susan’s passion is to serve Hoover through her court. “I can leave my office feeling good knowing we have helped someone, and that I contribute to my outstanding staff,” she said.
