--- title: "Emily Coody Marks | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emily-coody-marks" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Emily Coody Marks U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama - State: Alabama - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Emily Coody Marks (née Coody; born 1973 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is a United States district judge for the Middle District of Alabama, serving since August 3, 2018, and acting as Chief Judge from January 31, 2019, until January 31, 2026 - Judge, District Court, M.D. Alabama, 2018-present - From 1998 to 2018, Marks practiced law in Montgomery, Alabama, as a partner at Ball, Ball, Matthews & Novak, P.A., specializing in employment law, civil rights litigation, and appellate practice - Current position: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ### Education - University of Alabama School of Law in, serving as Chair of the John A. Campbell Moot Court Board and Associate Editor of the Law & — J.D. (1998) - Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Spring Hill College in 1995, where she was a President’s Scholar in English and Foreign Languages United States District Court. ### Additional information - Chief Judge term: 2019–2026 - Commission: August 3, 2018. - Confirmation: August 1, 2018, by voice vote. - Private practice, Montgomery, AL, 1998-2018 - Nominated: September 7, 2017, by President Donald Trump to replace. - Senate Hearing: October 17, 2017. - Date of birth: 1973-01-01 - Full name: Emily Michele Coody Marks - As a District Judge, Marks presides over federal cases in the Middle District of Alabama, including civil and criminal trials United States District Court. - Official site: United States District Court – Emily C. Marks United States District Court. - Her chambers are located in Montgomery, AL, and she is reachable via the court’s official channels United States District Court. - This profile reflects her professional background, judicial service, and official court information. - She also frequently defended municipalities against civil rights claims and served in leadership roles, including President of the Middle District of Alabama Federal Defender Program and President of the Montgomery Chapter of the Federal Bar Association United States District Court. - Birth place: Tuscaloosa, AL ## 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.fjc.gov/node/5018796) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5018796) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5018796) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8597/emily-coody-marks/) - [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/8597/emily-coody-marks/) - [Wikidata: Emily Coody Marks](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38946534) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emily-coody-marks", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emily-coody-marks", "name": "Emily Coody Marks | KnowJudges", "description": "Emily Coody Marks, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. 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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-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. 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.