Magistrate courts in Georgia issue arrest warrants and search warrants; they handle the first appearances of the arrested; and they set bonds. On the civil side, they handle matters like landlord-tenant disputes and lawsuits for less than $15,000 in damages.
They are the courts closest to the people and the defendants and plaintiffs who appear there are the ones least likely to be represented by attorneys.
Which is why it's important for their judges to conduct themselves in the manner of the late Charles "Chuck" Floyd Jr. of Fayette County's Magistrate Court.
"Chuck was honorable, honest, direct and smart in dealing with the public and communicating the law to them," said Judge Bob Ruppenthal, a colleague of Judge Floyd on the Fayette court. "It was a privilege to work with him."
Appointed chief magistrate in 2002, the first African-American judge to serve in Fayette County, Judge Floyd quickly won approval in the position, winning election to the post in 2004 and re-election in 2008.
Judge Charles Rogers "Chuck" Floyd, 54, of Peachtree City, died Wednesday at Piedmont Hospital after a prolonged illness. His funeral is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Dogwood Church in Tyrone with burial to follow in Westminster Memorial Gardens. Carl J. Mowell and Son Funeral Home, Peachtree City, is in charge of arrangements.
Before his tenure on the bench, Judge Floyd was in private practice and was unusually good at it, in the estimation of his former partner, James Howard of Stone Mountain.
"Chuck had amazing presence and articulated his arguments with vivid clarity," Howard said. "With his size -- he was 6 feet 5 inches tall -- and big, booming voice, you had to listen to him."
Howard recalled when the two of them represented a client on trial for murder.
"It was Chuck's first murder case and so he was my 'second chair,"' Howard said. "As the case progressed, it became clear to me that Chuck understood the case so well that I asked him to handle the closing argument, which turned out to be one of the most effective closing arguments I've ever heard. Our client was acquitted on all counts."
Howard said Judge Floyd could look at a situation from all angles. He simply had no preconceptions or prejudices.
"I'm sure that's what made him an effective judge," Howard added.
Born and reared in St. Marys, Judge Floyd lettered as an outside linebacker for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the late 1970s. Known as "Pink" Floyd by his teammates, he was witty and well-read but also supportive of African-American newcomers to the Tech campus and generous with advice, according to his former teammate and roommate, James Marble of Atlanta.
Judge Floyd was a devoted member of the Dogwood Church.
"Chuck was a wise and encouraging presence within our congregation, a man everyone looked to for counsel," said its pastor, the Rev. Keith Moore. "He served for more than a decade as an elder overseeing the health and mission of the church."
Judge Floyd even traveled with the church's global missions team to Kenya and Southeast Asia doing evangelistic work.
"He was a very effective public speaker," said the Rev. Moore.
Survivors include his wife, Deborah Floyd; a son, Charles R. Floyd III of Brooklyn, N.Y.; the deceased's parents, Charles Sr. and Joyce Floyd of St. Marys; a brother, Keith Floyd of Bowie, Md.; and a sister, Alicia Simmons of St. Marys.
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