WASHINGTON — Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Greg Cook sidestepped Democratic questions on the results of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot during his confirmation hearing Wednesday to serve as a district judge.
Cook, who President Donald Trump tapped to become a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, was grilled by Democratic senators. But he also won praise from fellow Alabamian, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, as the Judiciary Committee considered his nomination to the federal bench.
In her introduction of Cook, Britt called the Florence native “one of Alabama’s finest” with an “impeccable record of service.”
“I have every faith and confidence in his ability to answer this call,” Britt said during the hearing. “Your character is unmatched. Your diligence, your intellect. I know that you will uphold the Constitution and apply the law faithfully in every single circumstance and that you will be thoughtful about the role you’re stepping into.”
A graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School, Cook was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2022.
He previously practiced law at Balch & Bingham LLP for three decades and before that served in the U.S. Air Force. Trump nominated him to the federal bench in June, backed by Sens. Britt and Tommy Tuberville.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut questioned Cook and other judicial nominees Wednesday about their views on the 2020 presidential election results and Jan. 6. The 2020 election has been frequently used as a litmus test for Trump’s political appointees during confirmation hearings.
“Who won the 2020 election?” Blumenthal asked.
“A joint session of Congress certified that Joseph Biden won the election and therefore, as a matter of law, he was the winner,” Cook responded.
Following up, Blumenthal asked how many times the nominee had rehearsed that answer with the White House. Cook replied that he had not talked with the White House on the topic, but that he had watched other hearings involving the same question and wanted to be “very precise” with his answer.
On the Capitol riot, the Connecticut Democrat asked Cook, “Was the Capitol attacked on Jan. 6, 2021?”
“There was a lot of violence and vandalism at the Capitol and attacks on law enforcement,” Cook said in response. “So I hesitate to use the word attack just because it would be something that would apply to everybody.”
Cook then followed up, clarifying that “some of those people attacked the Capitol” on Jan. 6 and noted again “there was vandalism, and there was violence and they attacked law enforcement, and I denounce all of that so I don’t think we disagree.”
But Blumenthal called Cook and his fellow nominees’ answers “chilling” and “disqualifying” for their Senate-confirmed positions.
U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., had a similar line of questioning on the results of the 2020 election. The senator asked the nominees about the results of all the presidential elections from 2008 to 2024.
Schiff asked Cook a series of questions on the 2020 presidential election, and the nominee dodged direct answers, saying, “as a matter of law (Biden) was elected.”
“And as a matter of fact? You’re somehow separating the law and facts? As a matter of actual fact, who won the election in 2020?” Schiff asked.
“It’s a fact that the Electoral College vote was more for Joe Biden,” Cook responded.
Cook has close ties to the GOP, having served as general counsel for the Alabama Republican Party from 2017 to 2021. He also spent time on the Jefferson County Republican Steering Committee.
In 2000, Cook was a volunteer attorney for the Bush v. Gore legal battle in Florida, where he oversaw the hand recounting of ballots, according to his 2022 campaign website. He was also a delegate for Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
During her questioning, Britt focused on Cook’s judicial philosophy and how he would translate his experience in a law firm and on the Alabama Supreme Court to the federal bench.
“I am a boring and predictable person, but I’ve accumulated 35 years of experience now between my time at the firm and my time on the bench and I want to be able to bring that service and that experience and that knowledge to bear in the federal system,” Cook said.
At the end of the hearing, Britt reiterated her strong support for Cook’s nomination, saying she was “very proud of the work” that he’s done.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Cook’s nomination before a full Senate vote.
Alabama’s other federal judicial appointees
Cook’s nomination and confirmation process follows the confirmation of three other Alabamians to the federal bench. Under Trump’s second term, the Senate has confirmed Eddie LaCour and Hal Mooty to serve as district judges for the Northern District of Alabama and Bill Lewis for the Middle District.
The full Senate is set to vote on Sean Costello to serve as a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama this week as part of a larger nomination package.
Two U.S. attorneys for Alabama have already been confirmed: Phil Williams and Thomas Govan.