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R. Guy Cole Jr.
Cole in 2017
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2023
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
In office August 15, 2014 – May 1, 2021
Preceded by	Alice M. Batchelder
Succeeded by	Jeffrey Sutton
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
In office December 26, 1995 – January 9, 2023
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Nathaniel R. Jones
Succeeded by	Rachel Bloomekatz
Personal details
Born	Ransey Guy Cole Jr. (1951-05-23) May 23, 1951 (age 73) Birmingham, Alabama
Education	Tufts University (BA) Yale Law School (JD)

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 in Connecticut. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1975.

Professional career

Cole worked as an associate in private practice with the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease in Columbus, 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. 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 from 1978 until 1980. He then transitioned back into private practice at Vorys Sater in Columbus, Ohio 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, 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 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.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists

References

1. ^ Biography of R. Guy Cole Jr. Archived 2009-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, from the Sixth Circuit Court. Accessed October 3, 2009.
2. "PN488 — R. Guy Cole Jr. — The Judiciary". www.congress.gov.
3. ^ R. Guy Cole Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
4. "Three Appeals Court Seats to Open for Biden Nominations". www.news.bloomberg law.com.
5. "Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Joseph R. Biden" (PDF). ca6.uscourts.gov. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
6. "Trump Judge Continues Injunction Against Important COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Concerning Federal Contractors: Our Courts, Our Fight". People for the American Way. January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.

External links

• Ransey Guy Cole Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Works by or about R. Guy Cole, Jr. at Wikisource

• 1951 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American judges
• 21st-century American judges
• African-American judges
• Cheshire Academy alumni
• Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• Lawyers from Birmingham, Alabama
• Tufts University alumni
• United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton
• Yale Law School alumni
• Judges of the United States bankruptcy courts