William Harold Cox

United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi district Deceased · served 1961–1988 Appointed by John F. Kennedy (Democratic) 19 signed orders read

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

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 treated the written scope of a payment bond as controlling when the claimed obligation was not included.

“These bonds must be construed and applied as written.”

Cox required more than isolated in-state activity before exercising personal jurisdiction under the cited Mississippi statute.

“This incidental and isolated and only activity engaged in by Uhde in this state is not within the purview of this statutory scheme.”

Procedural preferences

Cox converted a Rule 12 motion when the court considered material outside the pleadings.

“Such matters outside the pleadings being presented to and not excluded by the Court under Rule 12(b)”

Cox applied the open-fields rule when assessing a warrantless search of abandoned rural property.

“The universal rule is that the protection accorded by the Fourth Amendment to the people in their persons and houses is not extended to the open fields.”

Signed rulings

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

Public Finance Corp. v. Freeman
· 1983-02-14
Bankruptcy appeal (unsecured creditor) Granted in part

“this Court approves and affirms that opinion of the Bankruptcy Judge and modifies the plan to provide that all statutes of limitation as to all unsecured claims of these debtors are tolled during and throughout the remainder of these proceedings.”

Associates Commercial Corp. v. Stevenson
· 1983-02-09
Bankruptcy appeal (secured creditor) Granted in part

“this Court modifies his decision as indicated but in the main affirms it.”

Efferson Bank v. Kimbrough Investment Co. (In re Royal D'Iberville Corp.)
· 1981-03-04
Bankruptcy appeal (creditors) Denied

“the appellants’ appeal is without merit and is dismissed with prejudice at their cost”

Bunton v. Patterson
· 1967-10-09
Motion for injunction (voters) Denied

“the injunction prayed for in this action be, and the same is, hereby, denied”

Reddix v. Thigpen
· 1983-01-20
Motion for reconsideration (state prisoner) Granted

“petitioner’s motion to reconsider my former order in this matter and that order to reconsider is sustained, and the previous order mentioned is withdrawn and vacated”

Habeas petition (state prisoner) Granted

“this Court now orders that a writ of habeas corpus issue from this Court to the warden of the state penitentiary at Parchman”

In re Ramsey
· 1966-10-04
Petition for review (creditor) Denied

“This Court has examined and considered this record on petition for review and is of the opinion that the order of the Referee is correct and should be affirmed.”

Carter Equipment Co. v. Travelers Indemnity Co.
· 1975-03-07
Summary judgment (equipment lessor) Denied

“The motion of the plaintiff for a summary judgment will be denied.”

Summary judgment (bond surety) Granted

“The motion of the defendant for a summary judgment will be granted.”

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Mississippi College
· 1978-05-05
Application to enforce subpoena (federal agency) Denied

“The subpoena heretofore issued in this case will be nullified. The efforts of the petitioner have been in vain and no relief will be granted.”

United States v. Willis
· 1977-05-23
Motion for new trial (criminal defendant) Denied

“The motion of the defendant for a new trial is without merit and will be denied.”

United States v. Ladner
· 1965-01-02
Application for compulsory process (criminal defendant) Denied

“the application for compulsory process is without merit and must be denied and the application dismissed.”

Miller v. International Paper Company
· 1967-11-09
Motions to dismiss (employer and unions) Granted

“Motion of International and of unions under Rule 12 will be sustained.”

Jennings v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District
· 1971-03-02
Motion for temporary injunction (teacher) Denied

“A judgment denying plaintiff’s request for a temporary injunction, and incorporating these findings and conclusions by reference thereto may be presented by the defendants for entry”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

The reviewed opinions span civil, criminal, bankruptcy, tax, employment, benefits, contract, and jurisdictional disputes. No historical docket timelines were available for broader caseload or timing 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.