Elijah Allen Cox

How Judge Cox rules, drawn from 3 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Judge Cox no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.

Court
United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
Position
district
Status
Deceased
Served
1929–1974
Appointed by
Calvin Coolidge
Commissioned
1929-03-02
Education
Vanderbilt University, B.A. (1909); Read law (admitted to the bar in 1911)
Signed orders read
3

How Judge Cox decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

Cox required legally mandated notice and a right to be heard, not notice supplied only as a courtesy.

“It is not enough that the owners may by chance have notice, or that they may as a matter of favor have a hearing. The law must require notice to them, and give them the right to a hearing and an opportunity to be heard.”

Cox enforced the city's warranty of quiet enjoyment against physical interference with the utility system it had sold.

“This general warranty included and carried with it the warranty of quiet enjoyment”

Procedural preferences

Cox rejected retroactive rate reparations where the carrier had collected a rate previously approved as lawful.

“a rate once approved by a regulatory body is conclusively presumed to be reasonable, and its collection, therefore, cannot he held to have been unlawful”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Mississippi Power Co. v. City of Aberdeen
· 1935-06-05
Motions to dismiss (city) Denied

“The Johnson Act does not apply. The motion to dismiss will be overruled.”

Mississippi Power Co. v. City of Starkville
· 1932-11-17
Claim to enjoin municipal bond issue (power company) Denied

“the power company, plaintiff here, is not entitled to an injunction restraining the city from issuing bonds for the erection of a power plant and distribution system.”

Claim to enjoin physical interference (power company) Granted

“I conclude that the power company is entitled to an injunction”

Claim to enjoin unfair competition (power company) Granted

“this conduct is such as to warrant an injunction against it restraining it from entering any contract made possible by the result of said election.”

Claim for general statewide injunction (power company) Denied

“the prayer of the bill that they be restrained generally will be denied.”

Eagle Cotton Oil Co. v. Southern Railway Co.
· 1931-02-05
Claim to enforce rate reparation award (shipper) Denied

“Therefore the judgment should be for defendants.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

The three reported decisions concern utility regulation, municipal electric service, and railroad-rate reparations. No historical docket timelines were available for broader caseload analysis.

A historical record

Judge Cox no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.