First Magistrate Court Chief Judge Takes Oath Of Office

FULTON COUNTY, GA — The Magistrate Court of Fulton County held a swearing-in ceremony Oct. 26 for its first-ever elected chief judge, Cassandra Kirk.

This historic ceremony is the culmination of four years of work. The Georgia General Assembly in 2014 passed legislation creating an independent Magistrate Court for Fulton County, which brought Fulton County in line with all other 158 counties in Georgia.

As part of this transition, the chief judge would be elected. In December 2014, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Cassandra Kirk to serve the first term for this new position, and Kirk won election in May 2018 to serve the first elected term beginning in 2019.

Prior to her service as chief judge, Cassandra Kirk served as an associate judge with the Fulton County Juvenile Court. Judge Kirk began her career as a labor and employment attorney with the firm formerly known as Stokes & Murphy, PC, an Atlanta-based labor and employment boutique, specializing in the hospitality, food service and manufacturing industries.

Kirk came to the bench after more than 15 years in public service. She served as an assistant district attorney in both the Alcovy and the Atlanta Judicial Circuits and served as director of Legal Services for the Georgia Merit System. Her juvenile experience included service as a juvenile defense attorney, attorney for the Department of Family and Children Services and as a supervising child attorney.

"By creating an independent Magistrate Court with an elected Chief Judge, the citizens of Fulton County were made stakeholders in the administration of Justice," Kirk said. "I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Fulton County with the highest levels of duty and care to the important responsibility they have entrusted me with."