Feb 4, 2026. Washington DC
A couple of weeks ago, the Honorable Christopher Robert Wolfe endured the hearing of a lifetime. After months of interviews and extensive vetting and coaching, he sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a confirmation hearing for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.
And we got to watch from the second row.
Each of the five nominees had been offered twenty reserved seats for family and friends. Chris filled his quota and some (the oldest Wolfe son, Graham, was not present for the occasion as he is currently deployed as a Navy surface warfare officer aboard the USS Pinckney). The panel of Senators sat in an arc of leather chairs, their chamber raised above and facing the nominees. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz introduced and endorsed Trump’s judicial nominee, Judge Christopher Wolfe, and proud tears spilled onto my cheeks.
For nearly eight years, Judge Wolfe has presided over serious felony cases, including sexual assault, child abuse, financial fraud, and capital murder. Over the course of his career, he has tried or presided over more than one hundred trials. He is widely respected, he is a fair, efficient judge who follows the law, and treats every person before him with dignity.
– Ted Cruz
This West Texas-born, Baylor and Fort Worth-bred attorney and judge… hometown kid does good.
The hearing began, and half of the senators addressed the judges with pleasantly supportive questions. The other half remained a bit combative with some jabs. So interesting to witness the room of Senators – mature in age, highly educated, committed to their country, yet holding opposing views. Remarkable to take it all in.
This hearing proved a fortuitous time to be at the end of the alphabet. Chris sat at the far side of the table and was consistently the last to be questioned, following the Columbia and Rice grads. Other than Senator Kennedy asking Chris about LSU hiring Coach Mulkey away from Baylor, Chris responded to nearly every question with:
“Yes, Senator, same answer.”
Not so fast. Senator Katie Britt from Alabama posed the last question:
“From time to time, you’re going to face legal questions that might not have been fully addressed by the upper chamber. What is your general philosophy for how you will approach those novel questions of law that come before you? Judge Wolfe, we’ll start with you.”
And so Chris got to show off a bit after all.
The honorable Judge Wolfe.
Honorable is defined as an important, influential, or distinguished person.
Biblical honor, from the Hebrew word Kavod, is connected to weight.
In the biblical sense, to live “honorably” is to live with a heart so aligned to God that your life carries spiritual weight — where integrity shapes your choices, humility marks your posture, obedience directs your steps, and Christ is reflected in both your private faithfulness and public conduct.
It makes sense to me that an Honorable Judge would need to hold heavy matters. For the past eight years, since he accepted a Tarrant County bench, I often ask the Lord to sustain Chris with all that he has to hold. All the testimonies and terrible stories he has to hear in detail. And of course, discernment for sentencing.
Somehow, Chris holds the gravity of these injustices while also maintaining a jubilant, buoyant countenance. He loves his wife. And he enjoys his kids. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. You can’t be with Chris for more than a couple of minutes without laughing, really laughing.
When I think of Chris’s integrity and wisdom in maintaining this juxtoposition, I think of his maternal grandmother, Grammer. Corbin and I were fortunate enough to spend several weekends at Grammer’s home in Lubbock during college. Grammer’s personality shone right through her beautifully appointed rooms with gorgeous fabrics, costly antiques, and loads of color. Her heavily used kitchen remained the source of generous hospitality, complete with Grammer’s Party Tea. It was Grammer’s large, round dining table that set my dreams to one day have something similar in my own family dining room. And then, up a few stairs and away from the living areas, Grammer’s prayer room. A small study transformed into a tranquil space filled with Bibles, books, and a bare spot on the rug. Clearly, that room got as much use as her kitchen.
I wonder how many things came to fruition two weeks ago in DC from prayers whispered in that Lubbock prayer room thirty, forty, fifty years ago.
Those prayers certainly influenced Chris’ decision, after signing with a prominent Dallas law firm, to pause his legal career for a year of (humble!) ministry work with troubled middle school boys. Certainly Grammer’s prayers planted a seed for Chris meeting Sarah during that year. And for working alongside young, faith-filled families that shaped Chris’s desire for a large family. Pretty transformative for Chris to go from only-child to father of six!
Throughout last week’s hearing, my thoughts reflected on our Baylor years with twenty-year-old Chris. During those years, in addition to Grammer, we got to know Chris’ parents. I recall Chris walking side by side into our casual college church with his trial attorney father, matching cuff links and tie bars. And afterwards at lunch, Billy would sneak his credit card to the server, and pay for our whole group. In so many ways, I thought then, Chris sure looked like his dad. And just a few years ago, as Chris shared about his father during a Lubbock memorial service, Billy sure looked like his son.
I didn’t get the photo, but my mind’s eye will long remember driving away from the hearing, looking out of the Uber window to see four Wolfe young men walking together across the snowy lawn in front of the Capitol building. No cuff links, no tie bars, none currently heading to law school. But man, they sure look like their dad.
