Retired Justice Champ Lyons, Jr. on Wednesday announced his endorsement of Republican Greg Cook’s bid for the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 5.
Lyons served on the Alabama Supreme Court from 1998 to 2011. He was the author of the first edition of the “Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure Annotated.” According to a release, Cook in 2016 assumed the role of providing annual updates for the book. In 2018, Cook was asked by the book’s publisher to author the fifth edition.
In announcing his endorsement of Cook, Lyons said the candidate would uphold the rule of law on the state’s high court.
“I have known Greg for many years. He is exactly the type of justice we need on the Alabama Supreme Court,” stated Lyons. “He is committed to unswerving adherence to the rule of law and the necessity to refrain from allowing any personal views to justify legislating from the bench. I’m proud to endorse him and ask the people of Alabama to join me in supporting Greg Cook. Greg is going to win this election and I look forward to attending his investiture.”
Lyons added, “Greg called me in 2018, and asked if he could rewrite my treatise and publish a new edition. I was thrilled that Greg was willing to undertake such a consuming task, and I could not have been more pleased with his result – a work of high quality that lawyers and judges alike can rely on. I know what a massive undertaking this was, and Greg earned his rights to authorship over months of writing. Greg’s work on this treatise is an important contribution to the practice of law in our state and demonstrates why we need him on the Supreme Court: he is committed to ‘getting it right.’”
Cook has held multiple positions with the American Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association and the Birmingham Bar. Additionally, Cook serves on the Alabama Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Committee.
Cook is joined by Calhoun County Circuit Judge Debra Jones in seeking the court’s Place 5 seat, which is currently held by retiring Justice Mike Bolin.
The primary election will take place on May 24, 2022.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
