2 DeKalb judges appointed by Gov. Deal
Gov. Nathan Deal appointed two DeKalb County judges today: state Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Brookhaven, and Jean-Paul "JP" Boulee, a partner with the law firm of Jones Day who previously served as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
Jacobs will become a DeKalb County State Court judge, and Boulee will serve on Superior Court for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit. They’ll take office as soon as they’re sworn in.
They’ll replace Eleanor Ross, who is now a federal judge for the Northern District of Georgia, and Cynthia Becker, who retired in March.
The appointment of Jacobs, who has been a state legislator since 2005, will create a vacancy in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Catherine Bernard, a Republican lawyer who worked to defeat a measure that would have granted redevelopment powers to Brookhaven’s government, announced today she will run for Jacobs’ seat.
Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis also has been considering a run as a Republican, and Matt Weiss, an attorney and Democratic activist, is also weighing a bid.
Deal chose Jacobs and Boulee from eight finalists selected by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
