MARIETTA â Cobb Countyâs newest magistrate judges were sworn in Monday with the help of their families in attendance and watching remotely.
Children were an important part of the swearing-in ceremony for incoming full-time Cobb Magistrate Judges Sonja Brown and Michael McLaughlin. Brownâs nieces and nephews and one of McLaughlinâs grandchildren led the Pledge of Allegiance, and they also held the new judgesâ 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.