J William Cole at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Current assignment
- Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
- Jurisdiction
- Alabama · State
- Judicial service
- Active
J William Cole
Biography
Professional career
- J. William “Bill” Cole is a Republican‐party judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, serving since 2019 and re‐elected in 2024 for a term ending January 20, 2031
- Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2005-present
- Circuit 10 Judge (2013–2019)
- Jefferson County Circuit Judge (appointed 2005; elected 2006, 2012)
- Morris Municipal Court judge (2001–2005)
- 1993–2005: Attorney at Luker, Cole & Associates
- Civically, he has been active in the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, coached youth sports, and held the role of a youth Sunday school teacher for 12 years
Education
- University of Alabama School of Law — J.D. (1992)
- in English and Political Science — Vanderbilt University — B.A. (1989)
Additional information
- Cole was elected in 2018 to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and re‐elected in November 2024 with 97.9% of the vote
- Elected to Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2018; appointed to Jefferson County Circuit Court in 2006, won election later in 2006; ran for court in 2012; appointed to another circuit court judgeship in 2013, won election in 2014
- Incumbent appellate judge; circuit judge, 2006-2012 and 2013-2018; private practice, during which he served as a special circuit court judge, a special prosecutor and a municipal court judge, 1992-2005; represented the Alabama Circuit Judges’ Association on the Alabama Victim Notification Task Force
- Practitioner, 2004-2004
- As a circuit judge, he presided over thousands of criminal cases and over 175 felony jury trials
- One of six judges on the court, selected by partisan election
- City of Birmingham among his most cited
- handling civil, criminal, domestic, family, and probate cases
- His judicial record includes 44 published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, with Johnston v
- John William “Bill” Cole Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3 Party: Republican Residence: Birmingham Political
- Civic
- Served on the board of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham; group leader of Reading is Fundamental; coached baseball and soccer for 10 years
- Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Cole is the son of the late Judge William H. Cole and Sally Grant Cole
- Cole is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, and American Bar Association
- He has served on the Alabama Sentencing Commission Advisory Council and the Victim Notification Implementation Task Force
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4 permits televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings only as provided by Alabama judicial ethics canons, law, or another court rule.
The taking of television pictures or other photographs in or of the courtroom during the progress of judicial proceedings or the radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings may be permitted as provided in Canon 3(A)(7) and (7B), Canons of Judicial Ethics, promulgated by the Alabama Supreme Court, or as otherwise may be permitted by law or other rule of court.Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama current judicial profile ↗Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings ↗