Emmett Ripley Cox (February 13, 1935 – March 3, 2021) was a Senior United States circuit judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...

and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

Education and career

Born in Cottonwood,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, Cox received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

in 1957 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from the

University of Alabama School of Law The University of Alabama School of Law, (formerly known as the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama) located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the st ...

in 1959. He was in the

United States Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

from 1958 to 1964, and was in private practice in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, Alabama from 1959 to 1964, and in

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

, Alabama from 1964 to 1981.

Federal judicial service

On October 14, 1981, Cox was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama vacated by Judge

Thomas Virgil Pittman Thomas Virgil Pittman (March 28, 1916 – January 6, 2012) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Earl ...

. Cox was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on November 18, 1981, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 25, 1988, due to elevation to the Eleventh Circuit. On December 19, 1987, Reagan nominated Cox to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John Cooper Godbold John Cooper Godbold (March 24, 1920 – December 22, 2009) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Education and career Born ...

. Cox was again confirmed by the Senate, on April 15, 1988, and received his commission on April 18, 1988. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on December 18, 2000. He died on March 3, 2021, aged 86.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Emmett Ripley 1935 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama People from Houston County, Alabama United States court of appeals judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Alabama School of Law alumni