Born in Marion, Kentucky, and raised in Princeton, Kentucky,[2] Hughes received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 1977 from the University of Louisville and then received a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 1980 from the University of Louisville School of Law where she served as Executive Editor of the school's law review and was named Outstanding Graduate.
While in private practice, Hughes handled a variety of business and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts.
In 1999, Justice Hughes was appointed and then elected to the Jefferson Circuit Court, where she served for over seven years.
In March 2014, the FBI began vetting Hughes for the seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that was vacated by Judge Boyce F. Martin Jr., who retired in 2013.
[6] On March 17, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Justice Hughes to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals stating, "Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes has a long and impressive record of service and a history of handing down fair and judicious decisions.