The United States Senate confirmed Edmund LaCour Jr. as a
judge of the District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The vote was
51 to 47, a decision divided strictly along party lines.
LaCour will fill the vacancy left by Chief Justice L. Scott
Coogler, who retired earlier this year. His confirmation represents a
significant step in the federal judicial appointment process and reinforces the
influence of Alabama's Senate representation in shaping the state's federal
courts.
With this appointment, a string of judicial confirmations
linked to the state's delegation continues, which recently also secured the
confirmation of former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Lewis and Huntsville
attorney Hal Mooty to various federal positions.
Since 2019, LaCour had served as Alabama's attorney general
under Attorney General Steve Marshall. In that role, he led several of the
state's most significant appellate litigation cases, participating in
high-profile cases before federal and state courts. His experience defending
the state's interests in higher courts was a key factor highlighted during the
Senate confirmation process.