Janice McKenzie Cole is an attorney who served as the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

Eastern District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (in case citations, E.D.N.C.) is the United States district court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Caroli ...

(1994–2001) under President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

. During her tenure as U.S. Attorney, she helped introduce five communities to the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and a ...

Weed and Seed The Community Capacity Development Office (CCDO) is an office of the United States Department of Justice and a component of the Office of Justice Programs. The mission is to work within local communities to reduce crime and improve the quality of ...

crime-prevention program. Cole has been honored as Woman of the Year by the

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its origi ...

Branch of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,00 ...

and Tarheel of the Week by

The News and Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

Education and career

She received her bachelor of science degree with highest honors from

John Jay College The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts co ...

of Criminal Justice, part of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pr ...

. She also has a master's degree in public administration from John Jay. She received her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1979. Cole, a native New Yorker, is a former New York City police officer, and was in one of the first groups of female police officers assigned to patrol the streets in high crime areas. Upon her completion of law school, Cole served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. In 1983 she moved to

Hertford, North Carolina Hertford is a town and the county seat of Perquimans County, North Carolina, Perquimans County, North Carolina, United States. The current population of Hertford, North Carolina is 1,912 based on the 2020 census. The US Census estimates the 2021 p ...

, a rural community in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

and started a private practice. Seven years later she was elected to serve as a state District Court Judge. She was the first black and first woman to serve as a judge in that district. She held that position until she was sworn in as the United States Attorney in February, 1994. Cole unsuccessfully ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

in 2002. In 2008, she was selected by the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage ...

to be a member of the

United States Electoral College The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution of the United States, Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the President of the United States, presiden ...

, voting for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

and Joe Biden on behalf of the state's voters. When the state's electoral college met, Cole and elector Kara Hollingsworth, both African-Americans, formally nominated Obama. Cole was one of the initial members of an advisory committee appointed by U.S. Sen.

Kay Hagan Janet Kay Hagan (née Ruthven; May 26, 1953 – October 28, 2019) was an American lawyer, banking executive, and politician who served as a United States Senator from North Carolina from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previo ...

to help her recommend nominees for U.S. attorneys and federal judgeships in North Carolina. In January 2023, Cole was appointed as the town manager of

, where she resides with her husband. Prior to her appointment, she was the interim manager of the town.The Perquimans Weekly: Interim No More: Council Names Cole Hertford's Manager
/ref>

Personal life

Cole is married to

J. Carlton Cole ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

, who was a District Court Judge for the 1st Judicial District of North Carolina until his appointment to the North Carolina Superior Court in 2009 by Governor

Beverly Perdue Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first female gove ...

. They reside in Hertford.

References

External links

Albemarle Bank & Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Janice Living people North Carolina state court judges North Carolina Democrats African-American women lawyers American women lawyers African-American lawyers African-American women in politics Women in North Carolina politics United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of North Carolina John Jay College of Criminal Justice alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 2008 United States presidential electors 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American people in North Carolina politics 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians