The U.S. Senate voted 51‑47 on October 29, 2025 to confirm Edmund “Eddie” LaCour Jr. to serve as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, filling the seat vacated by L. Scott Coogler following his retirement. LaCour had served as Alabama’s Solicitor General since 2019, representing the state in high‑profile litigation including major redistricting work before the U.S. Supreme Court.

LaCour’s path to confirmation followed an earlier nomination in 2020 that stalled when then‑Senator Doug Jones declined to return a “blue slip,” effectively blocking the process. With Alabama’s Senate delegation now solidly Republican, the renewed nomination progressed: the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his name by a 12‑10 vote, and cloture was invoked in the full Senate before the final confirmation.

Before his government service, LaCour had a distinguished private law‑practice career: he worked at major firms including Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Bancroft PLLC, and Baker Botts LLP, and clerked for Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the Eleventh Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Master of Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin, and a summa‑cum‑laude bachelor’s from Birmingham‑Southern College.

LaCour’s confirmation is part of a broader push to fill multiple federal judicial vacancies in Alabama, including recent confirmations of Bill Lewis and Hal Mooty in the Middle and Northern Districts. His arrival signals a continued reshaping of the federal bench in Alabama as the circuit enters 2026.