John Cooper Godbold

John Cooper Godbold
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
In office
October 23, 1987  December 22, 2009
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
In office
1981–1986
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Paul Hitch Roney
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
In office
October 1, 1981  October 23, 1987
Appointed by Reassigned to Eleventh Circuit pursuant to operation of law
Preceded by Seat established
Succeeded by Emmett Ripley Cox
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
In office
1981–1981
Preceded by James P. Coleman
Succeeded by Charles Clark
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
In office
July 22, 1966  September 30, 1981
Appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by Richard Taylor Rives
Succeeded by Seat abolished
Personal details
Born (1920-03-04)March 4, 1920
Coy, Alabama
Died December 22, 2009(2009-12-22) (aged 89)
Montgomery, Alabama
Alma mater Auburn University B.S.
Harvard Law School J.D.
Profession Judge

John Cooper Godbold (March 24, 1920 December 22, 2009) was a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Biography

Born in Coy, Alabama, Godbold received a Bachelor of Science from Auburn University in 1940 and was a Major in the United States Army, Division Artillery Headquarters during World War II, from 1941 to 1946. He received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1948, and was in private practice in Montgomery, Alabama from 1948 to 1966.

Court of Appeals service

On June 28, 1966, Godbold was nominated by President Johnson to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Richard Taylor Rives. Godbold was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 22, 1966, and received his commission the same day. He served as chief judge in 1981, but on October 1, 1981, he was reassigned by operation of law to the newly created United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He served as the first chief judge of that court, from 1981 to 1986, and assumed senior status on October 23, 1987. He served as Director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1987 to 1990, and was a professor of law at the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University beginning in 1990. He continued in senior status for twenty-two years, until his death, in 2009, in Montgomery, Alabama.

Sources

Legal offices
Preceded by
Richard Rives
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
1966–1981
Seat abolished
Preceded by
Seat established
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
1981–1987
Succeeded by
Emmett Ripley Cox
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.