Ransey Guy Cole Jr. (born May 23, 1951) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Early life and education

Cole was born in Birmingham, Alabama and attended

Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United ...

in Connecticut. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in 1972 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Yale Law School in 1975.Biography of R. Guy Cole Jr.
, from the Sixth Circuit Court. Accessed October 3, 2009.

Professional career

Cole worked as an associate in private practice with the law firm

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP is an international law firm based in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio. With approximately 400 attorneys working out of offices in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, D.C., and London, the firm is a ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Ohio from 1975 until 1978. Upon joining the firm in 1975, he was just the second African-American at the firm, and in 1983, he became its first African-American

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

. He joined the United States Department of Justice and worked as a trial attorney in the commercial litigation branch of the

United States Department of Justice Civil Division The United States Department of Justice Civil Division represents the United States, its departments and agencies, members of Congress A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official bod ...

from 1978 until 1980. He then transitioned back into private practice at Vorys Sater in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

from 1980 until 1986. Cole became a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Ohio from 1987 until 1993. He returned to private practice in Columbus at Vorys Sater from 1993 until becoming an appeals court judge in 1995.

Federal judicial service

President Bill Clinton nominated Cole to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on June 29, 1995, to replace Judge

Nathaniel R. Jones Nathaniel Raphael Jones (May 12, 1926 – January 26, 2020) was an American attorney, judge, and law professor. As general counsel of the NAACP, Jones fought to end school segregation, including in the northern United States. From 1979 until 199 ...

, who assumed senior status on May 13, 1995. Although Republicans controlled the United States Senate at that time, Cole's nomination was considered uncontroversial. The Senate Judiciary Committee

unanimously Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or impl ...

recommended Cole's confirmation on October 26, 1995. The Senate unanimously confirmed Cole by a voice vote on December 22, 1995. He received his commission on December 26, 1995. Cole served as Chief Judge from August 15, 2014, to May 1, 2021. On December 10, 2021, he announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. He assumed senior status on January 9, 2023.

Notable cases

On January 5, 2022, Cole partially dissented in a 2-1 decision that upheld an injunction against an executive order requiring federal contractors to ensure that their workers get the COVID-19 vaccine.

References

External links