Executive Director's Report
| Jurisdiction | Alabama,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 72 No. 6 Pg. 0445 |
| Pages | 0445 |
| Publication year | 2011 |
KEITH B. NORMAN
keith.norman@alabar.org
Thank You, Sue Bell Cobb
August 1, 2011 marked the conclusion of one of our state's most remarkable judicial careers-that of Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb. Upon her graduation from the University of Alabama School of Law and passing the bar exam, Sue Bell (in law school most people called her by her first and last name as a double name) began her judicial odyssey. Less than a month after her notification in September 1981 that she had passed the bar exam, Sue Bell was appointed by Governor Fob James as district court judge for Conecuh County. From the first time she donned her judicial robe, she never looked back.
I say Sue Bell's was a remarkable judicial career because from her appointment as district judge, she was later elected to that position, then elected circuit judge for the 35th Judicial Circuit, then elected to the court of criminal appeals and finally chief justice-our state's first female chief justice. Over the course of her 30 years of judicial service, she was elected to the district and circuit courts, an intermediate appellate court and finally to the supreme court. I am not aware of any other judge in the history of our state who has accomplished this feat.
Just her judicial career alone is sufficient to secure Sue Bell's place in history, but because she is a human dynamo with a tremendous reservoir of energy, Sue Bell has been busy on multiple fronts. Her passion over the years has been children. She has been one of this state's leading advocates for them, helping lead the movement which resulted in the creation of Alabama's Children First Foundation and Children's Alliance, organizations which serve to advance and protect the interests of Alabama's children. During her shortened term as chief justice, Sue Bell was successful in convincing the legislature to adopt a new, much-needed juvenile code.
Over the years, Sue Bell has supported specialized courts such as drug and mental health courts as a better and more effective way to deal with those charged with crimes stemming from drug abuse or mental health problems. As chief justice, she made a concerted effort to expand specialized courts to nearly all the judicial circuits throughout the state. She was also a strong proponent before the legislature for sentencing reforms. Although she was unsuccessful, Sue Bell worked tirelessly for these reforms.
...
To continue reading
Request your trial