Emmett Ripley Cox

Emmett Ripley Cox (February 13, 1935 – March 3, 2021) was an American jurist who served as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

Education and career

Born in Cottonwood, Alabama, Cox received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Alabama in 1957 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1959. He was in the United States Air National Guard from 1958 to 1964, and was in private practice in Birmingham, Alabama from 1959 to 1964, and in 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. Cox was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 18, 1981, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 25, 1988, due to elevation to the court of appeals.