MARIETTA, Georgia — Cobb County’s newest magistrate judges were sworn in Monday with the help of their families in attendance and watching remotely, the Marietta Daily Journal reported on Monday, December 21.
Children were an important part of the swearing-in ceremony for incoming full-time Cobb Magistrate Judges Sonja Brown and Michael McLaughlin. Brown’s nieces and nephews and one of McLaughlin’s grandchildren led the Pledge of Allegiance, and they also held the new judges’ respective Bibles.
McLaughlin, who is the dean of the Cobb magistrate bench, has served there since 1985 while also running his own law firm. Serving full-time as a magistrate, he said, will allow him to devote himself completely to the bench.
“I felt like I’ve done it pretty well and I appreciate your kind words that have been shared with all of you here today, but I think I can do it better. I think I can turn it up a little bit more,” he said.
McLaughlin praised Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan Murphy, who he said brings “infectious energy” to the court in hearing cases and is committed to the job, and also put him at ease through the whole appointment process, and makes the Cobb Superior Court, “the best in the state.” But he gave some of the highest appreciation to his fellow part-time magistrates, who he described as “dedicated, responsible, service-oriented, community driven, caring and disciplined.”
“We’re dedicated to the shift,” he said. “2020 has been an odd year, right? We’re all praying for normality to come back soon.”
Brown serves as the director of community affairs at the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Her current boss, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, said she established and leads the Crime Strategies and Community Partnerships Unit, a first-of-its-kind program in the state. She read Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman” in dedication to Brown.
“She has committed herself to service to all mankind. Not just in words of our beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, but in action in all that she does,” Boston said. “Citizens will find a tireless and fierce advocate for justice and fairness.”
Brown said she works “to do what is right because it is the right thing to do,” and promised to make fair and just decisions based on the law and the facts of the cases brought in front of her.
“Magistrate Court is indeed the people’s court because most people who come into contact with the justice system interact with this court,” she said. “My promise is that no matter who you are, or why you come into contact with this court, you will be treated fairly, with dignity and always with respect. I will be a judge for all people.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Judge Brown, who was born and grew up in Freeport, Grand Bahama, is the daughter of Valencia Bethel-Brown and the niece of Eddison “Ed” Bethel, the renowned Bahamian journalist and former diplomat. She is also the niece of retired distinguished educator Ann Bethel-Poitier.)
Here is a link to the full Marietta Journal story: https://www.mdjonline.com/news/brown-and-mclaughlin-sworn-in-as-cobb-magistrate-judges/article_300cc60e-43d2-11eb-87e7-238ffddebacd.html
