Native Floridian Chris Mack is a seasoned traveler.  He's made his way through Europe, Asia and Central America. But it was a trip to China, nearly 20 years ago, that left an indelible impression. He described censorship in internet cafes where he would go to check his email. He witnessed discrimination against the Falun Gong and Uygher groups for their religious beliefs. He described the society as “remarkably oppressive, shocking.” 

He told VoxPopuli in an interview that the experience made him appreciate the First Amendment protections the U.S. justice system provides. 

He wants to harness the power of U.S.  law for good. 

“It's very important that we put people in office that will try to advance the well being of people in society,” he said.

It's why the Osceola attorney is running for circuit court judge against incumbent Judge Jeffrey Ashton and candidate Alicia Peyton, an attorney with the personal injury litigation firm King & Markman, in Group 15 of the Ninth Judicial Circuit in the Aug. 20 primary.

Early voting takes place Aug. 5-18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily; check our list for locations. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Aug. 8. Return it to the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. Aug. 20.

The Ninth Judicial Circuit, one of Florida’s 20 circuit courts, covers Orange and Osceola counties and handles criminal cases as well as civil disputes that involve more than $50,000. Circuit court judges serve for six years and earn $182,060 annually.

An attorney and judge

Mack, 46, grew up in Hialeah and attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami-Dade County and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He now lives in Windermere with his wife Jackie and their three children.

According to his campaign website, Mack is general counsel and director of legal administration for the Osceola County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office. There, he oversees legal compliance, manages a team of eight and represents the office in federal litigation. He also works as a judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Teen Court Diversion program, sits on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Local Professionalism Panel and is a member of Rotary International and Knight of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service order.

After graduating from Florida A&M University College of Law, Mack co-founded Soto Mack Law Group with Osceola Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Kelvin Soto. The group specialized in criminal, civil and family law before it closed in 2021.

In 2016, Mack ran for Osceola County Property Appraiser, but was defeated in the primary.

Second chances 

Government positions hold tremendous power, and Mack wants voters to know that he respects such power no matter what position he holds.

“All too often in society, we have people get power, and they don't do it to advance or have society thrive,” he said. “And when we have people in power that don't try to advance society, we have a lot of suffering.”

Mack added: “I don't want to see any kind of partisan politics come into the judiciary.”

He said working as a criminal defense attorney has helped him gain perspective and understanding for the people appearing in criminal court, something he’d be able to bring to the bench, if elected.

“No matter how much you read about it, no matter how intelligent you are, you just don't understand that,” Mack said. “So having that experience knowing people, when those kinds of cases come before me in court, I'll have an understanding of what it means when someone's coming up to talk about how they deserve a second chance.”

He’s come to see the value in second chances while serving as a judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s Teen Court Diversion program, which is voluntary for youthful offenders who are judged by peer juries.

“It's not pleasant all the time, [when as a teen] you’re constantly struggling to control your emotions and make decisions and discern when you don't have real life experience, you don't really have an education, and you just got a lot of impulses,” Mack said. “I'm glad the law has taken into account those deficiencies that the youth have, and allow them to … move on with their lives.”

As a judge, Mack wants to continue his community outreach efforts by educating young adults about the law to reduce the amount of petty crimes and “basic legal interactions that inundate the justice system.”

“What I see right now is young people are coming into their own and becoming adults and they are totally unequipped to deal with the legal obligations that are here today,” Mack said. “If you could just educate people about the law, it would do a great deal to advance society and minimize suffering. It would also relieve a lot of our caseload.”

Learning from other judges

As an attorney, Mack spent his fair share of time sitting in court waiting for his cases to be heard. While waiting wasn’t always fun, it did give him a chance to learn from the judges around him.

“I would always observe the judge and how the judge interacted with other people in the courtroom,” Mack said. “It's good to see what kind of person I'm dealing with. And I was able to glean from a lot of different judges a lot of the qualities that I liked.” Particularly those who were patient, calm, yet firm. 

But he said being a good fit ultimately comes down to his core beliefs.

“Anybody can fake politeness, anybody can fake patience, but being a good person at your heart is what we need as judges,” Mack said. “People that carry out the spirit of the law to the best of their ability, judges who have real respect for the dignity of everyone that comes before them, a judge that doesn't prejudge anyone … we really need to start electing people that are befitting the amount of trust and power we put into their hands.”