Stephen J. Cox

Stephen J. Cox (born 1977/1978) is an American lawyer who has served as the Alaska Attorney General since August 29, 2025.^[1][2] He previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas after being appointed by U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.^[3][4]

Steve Cox
Official portrait, 2020
Attorney General of Alaska
Acting
Assumed office August 29, 2025
Governor	Mike Dunleavy
Preceded by	Treg Taylor
Personal details
Born	1977 or 1978 (age 47–48)
Political party	Republican
Education	Texas A&M University (BS) University of Houston (JD)

Education

Cox graduated from Texas A&M University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and from the University of Houston Law Center in 2006 with a Juris Doctor degree, summa cum laude.^[5][6] After graduating from law school, Cox was a law clerk to judge James Larry Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.^[6]

Legal career

Cox served on the William H. Webster Commission on the FBI, Counterterrorism, Intelligence, and the Events of Fort Hood, and as a senior advisor to the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Cox has also spent time in private practice, dealing with white collar investigations, ethics and compliance, and regulatory matters.

Cox served as deputy associate attorney general and chief of staff within the department's Office of the Associate Attorney General. In his role, Cox spearheaded numerous policy reforms relating to corporate enforcement and regulatory reform, as well as overseeing several department matters relating to financial fraud and healthcare fraud. He also served as vice chair of the Deputy Attorney General's working group on corporate enforcement and accountability, and as executive director of the department's regulatory reform task force.

Cox was appointed by the Court as U.S. Attorney on September 28, 2020, having received unanimous approval of the District Judges.^[7] As the chief federal law enforcement officer in EDTX, Cox supervised the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. As U.S. Attorney, Cox led a staff of over 120 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel located in Beaumont, Plano, Tyler, Sherman, Lufkin, and Texarkana. He resigned on January 20, 2021.