--- title: "Charles S. Coody | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-s-coody-alabama-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Charles S. Coody U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama - State: Alabama - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Long‐serving U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Alabama, appointed on May 1, 1987 and continuing in active recall service - Law Clerk, Alabama Supreme Court, 1975–1976 (to T. Eric Embry) - Private practice: Civil litigation with Smith, Bowman, Thagard, Crook & Culpepper (now Balch & Bingham) (1975–1976) - Officer, U.S. Army - 2nd Armored Division, 1968–1970 - U.S. Army Second Lieutenant (1968–1970), armored cavalry officer - In Social Security matters, he has reversed and remanded when the Administrative Law Judge failed to adequately develop the medical record, emphasizing the court’s duty to ensure a complete record ### Education - Spring Hill College — B.S. (1968) ### Additional information - Judge Coody’s signed orders span 2006–2018 and include rulings in Social Security appeals, habeas petitions, motions to dismiss, and summary judgment cases - Retirement: Officially retired September 30, 2012, but remains on active recall - Past leadership: Chief Magistrate Judge (2001–2008) - General Counsel, Alabama State Board and Alabama State Dept. of Education, 1978–1987 - Practitioner, Smith, Bowman, Thagard, Crook & Culpepper, 1976–1978 - J.D. — Univ. of Alabama — 1975 - Advisor, U.S. Army - Advisory Team 80, 1971–1971 - Army Advisor in Vietnam (1971); awarded two Air Medals and Army Commendation Medal; also served in the Alabama Army National Guard - Other judicial roles: Member of the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Committee on Court Administration and Case Management - Chair of the Middle District’s IT Committee; past President of the Hugh Maddox Inn of Court; past Chair of the Federal Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Committee United States District Court ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9015/charles-s-coody/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9015/charles-s-coody/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Charles Styring Coody](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9015/charles-s-coody/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Charles Styring Coody](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-s-coody-alabama-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-s-coody-alabama-us-magistrate", "name": "Charles S. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.