Sue Bell Cobb is an American jurist

Law of the United States

The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...

 and was the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court

Alabama Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of an elected Chief Justice and eight elected Associate Justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six year terms. The Governor of Alabama may fill vacancies when they occur...

 from 2007 until her resignation in 2011. Cobb was the first woman elected as Alabama's Chief Justice and had previously served from 1995 to 2007 as a judge on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, the state court for criminal

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

 intermediate appeals

Appellate court

An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...

. Before 1995, Cobb had served as a trial judge

Trial court

A trial court or court of first instance is a court in which trials take place. Such courts are said to have original jurisdiction.- In the United States :...

 in state district court for many years.

Cobb is a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, the only one on the Court during her tenure. She was elected to the state supreme court

State supreme court

In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....

 in the 2006 elections, defeating Drayton Nabers, Jr.

Drayton Nabers, Jr.

Drayton Nabers is a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court in 2003 by Governor Bob Riley following Justice Roy Moore's removal as a result of his refusal to remove his Ten Commandments Monument from the State Judicial Building, an event that attracted...

, the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 incumbent.

Cobb announced her intention to resign from office on August 1, 2011 to spend more time with her family. Cobb denies that her decision to step down is connected with a possible run for Alabama Governor.

Life and career

Cobb graduated from the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 with a degree

Academic degree

An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...

 in history, receiving the Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history.The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.-...

 Scholarship Key. Cobb attended the University of Alabama School of Law

University of Alabama School of Law

The University of Alabama School of Law located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the state. In total, it is one of five law schools in the state, and one of three that are ABA accredited.The diverse student body, of approximately...

, graduating with a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1981. In law school

Law school

A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

 Cobb was a member of the Bench and Bar Honor Society, Farrah Law Society, and Moot Court Board. Cobb was appointed as a judge of Conecuh County District Court immediately after being admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar

An admission to practice law, also called admission to the bar, is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. Becoming a lawyer is a widely varied process around the world. Common to all jurisdictions are requirements of age and competence; some jurisdictions also require citizenship...

, becoming one of the state's youngest judges. She was elected to the district Court in 1982 and re-elected in 1988.

As a trial judge, Cobb took assignments from about 40 counties. In 1997, Cobb was appointed by the Alabama Supreme Court to serve as the Alternate Chief Judge of the Court of the Judiciary. http://www.judicial.state.al.us/judiciary.cfm

Cobb was elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 1994 and served until becoming Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2007.