Chris McCool

James Christopher McCool (born 1967 or 1968) is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama since 2025. He previously served as a judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals from 2018 to 2025.

Education

In 1985, McCool graduated from Pickens Academy as valedictorian. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1990, with a double major in history and classics (with a concentration in Greek). He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1993, where he served on the Honor Court. He was a member of the Alabama Law Review.

Career

After graduating law school, he practiced law with attorney C.O. Burkhalter. In 1995, he was appointed as a full-time assistant district attorney for Pickens County, and in 2001 he became district attorney for the 24th Judicial Circuit. He has also served as a municipal court judge for the municipalities of Reform and Pickensville and as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law from 1998 to 2000. On November 9, 2018, McCool was sworn in as a judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals after facing no opposition in the election.

Alabama Supreme Court

In January 2023, McCool announced his run for a seat on the Supreme Court of Alabama. He would fill the vacancy left by Associate Justice Sarah Hicks Stewart, who ran for the position of chief justice. On November 5, 2024, he went on to win election to the seat, unopposed.

Personal life

McCool and his wife, Sherri, have been married since Valentine’s Day 1992. They attend Zion Primitive Baptist Church, where McCool has served as a pastor since 2012. Together, they have four children and one grandchild.