A former U.S. Attorney from Texas during the first Trump administration now reportedly is seeking a federal judgeship.
Erin Nealy Cox apparently is one of more than 20 applicants for the open federal judgeship in North Texas, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Despite her history with Trump, Nealy Cox has been a staunch critic of the January 6 protests and its participants. And Nealy Cox’s law firm is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration as well.
Trey Cox
| File photo
And her husband, John “Trey” Cox, has donated thousands of dollars to campaigns for judges who are anti-gun, anti-voter ID and even one who was criticized personally by Trump.
On January 6, 2021, Nealy Cox tweeted about the protests at the U.S. Capitol.
“Forcibly storming a government building is a reprehensible betrayal of the rule of law,” she wrote. “Those who committed violence in Washington today are anarchists, not patriots. They should prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
After her tenure as U.S. Attorney ended in 2021, Nealy Cox joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in its Dallas office. The firm is one of the largest law firms in the nation.
The firm, according to Politico, agreed to provided millions of dollars in pro bono work for “causes that President Trump and the law firms both support.” Kirkland & Ellis also commit to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion practices and not deny legal services to potentially controversial, “politically disenfranchised groups and government officials.”
According to the Politico report, this decision by Kirkland & Ellis was likely made to “stave off punishment” as the Trump administration has been targeting members of the legal community that “he believes has weaponized the law to unfairly target him.”
A statement last month from the firm said the agreement with the Trump administration upholds “long-held principles.”
“We look forward to a continued constructive and productive relationship with President Trump and his team,” the statement said.
Trey Cox is co-partner in charge of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas office.
According to campaign donation records, he has donated more than $75,000 to Democratic candidates in the last decade. Recipients of these donations include Judge Tonya Parker, Judge Emily G. Tobolowsky, Judge Francisco X. Dominguez and Judge Eric. V. Moye.
Parker is a judge in the 116th Civil District Court in Dallas. Cox made four donations to Parker’s campaigns totaling $7,000 between 2018 and 2021.
Parker received the 2017 Stonewall Award from the American Bar Association's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Commission and the 2021 Luminary award for her work in the advancement of diversity.
In 2020, Parker convened a task force with Moye to examine “implicit bias,” or the notion that subconsciously people are biased against certain racial groups, in the court system. This group has argued that judges read special jury instructions about implicit bias prior to their deliberations.
Tobolowsky is a judge in the 298th Civil District Court in Dallas. Cox made two donations totaling $5,000 between 2018 and 2021 to Tobolowsky’s campaigns.
Last year, Tobolowsky struck down Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a temporary block on a new rule from Texas State Fair officials and the City of Dallas banning all guns from the state fairgrounds.
And in 2023, Tobolowsky issued a court order changing of a birth certificate’s name and gender of a biological male who identifies as a female.
Dominguez is a judge in the 205th District Court in El Paso. Cox made a $2,500 donation to Dominguez’ campaign in 2021.
On his campaign website, Dominguez touts that he was awarded the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center Border Hero Award. The Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is an organization that advocates for illegal immigrants and "for systemic change to U.S. immigration policy and practices."
Moye is a 14th District Court judge in Dallas. Cox made five donations totaling $13,500 to Moye’s campaigns between 2015 and 2023.
In addition to helping with the Implicit Bias task force, Moye shared on Facebook a New York Times article in 2016 about federal courts striking down voter ID laws in North Carolina and Wisconsin. The article said these laws disenfranchised minority voters. In his post, Moye seemed to agree with that premise,
“It is happening over and over again,” Moye wrote. “Will those people seeking to disenfranchise American Citizens ever learn?”
And in 2020, Moye also sentenced a Dallas salon owner to seven days in jail for not following COVID-19 shutdown orders. He held Shelley Luther in criminal and civil contempt, citing “the refusal of the defendants to cease operation of the salon, despite the clear and unambiguous language of the order.”
“The defiance of the court’s order was open, flagrant and intentional,” Moye wrote. “The defendants, although having been given an opportunity to do so, have expressed no contrition, remorse or regret for their contemptuous action.”
After the Texas Supreme Court overturned Luther’s conviction, Trump criticized Moye during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.”
“I thought it was terrible,” Trump said. “I thought he was a terrible judge. The governor (Greg Abbott) agreed with me. She’s (Luther) an incredible representative for a large group of people who want to do the same thing – want to get back to work.”
Nealy Cox did not return messages seeking comment for this story.