Sonja Brown sworn in as Cobb's newest Superior Court judge

Dec. 10—Sonja Natasha Brown was sworn in Thursday evening as the newest judge on the Cobb Superior Court bench.

Brown, a Cobb magistrate judge and past president of the Georgia Association of Black Woman Attorneys (GABWA), replaces retiring Judge Robert Flournoy III. She defeated James Luttrell in a runoff election this summer with 64% of the vote.

"I stand before you today with a heart that is filled with gratitude," a beaming Brown told friends and family gathered in the Superior Courthouse.

As a Superior Court judge, Brown will be tasked with handling felony criminal cases, civil disputes, real estate matters and more.

With Brown's accession to the bench, she becomes the third Black person to hold a Superior Court judgeship in Cobb, after Kellie Hill and Angela Brown were elected in 2020. Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan Murphy noted the Superior Court bench will also now, for the first time, be majority woman.

Brown, in fact, replaced Hill in the Magistrate Court two years ago after the latter's election. Murphy recalled taking Brown out to lunch before bringing her on, joking he was surprised when Brown — who hails from the Bahamas — picked the restaurant Bahama Breeze.

"There are no gentle tropical breezes on Barrett Parkway," Murphy quipped.

He said that lunch proved fateful, when he "got to know the excellence of Judge Sonja Brown."

"She understands in her bones that those of us privileged to serve in this way are but temporary stewards of the offices we hold," Murphy said.

Both Judge Hill and Janet Scott, a Stonecrest associate judge and another former GABWA president, said they were exceedingly proud of Brown's career path.

Scott called Brown "a judge who is called not to form to this world, but to transform the world and all who enter her courtroom."

"Congratulations, Judge Brown," Scott added. "I'm extremely proud of you my sister, and confident you will serve the Cobb County community with excellence."

Hill said she met first met Brown years ago, when she was serving as a Fulton County prosecutor.

"I went to her and I said to her, 'Do not let anyone waste your talents. You've got it. Use it,'" Hill said. "And I am so happy and so proud of the fact that those talents have not gone to waste."

Brown, for her part, spent much of her remarks thanking her many supporters and many "families" — her immediate family, her coworkers, friends old and new, the Cobb attorneys who supported her, and even representatives of the Bahamian Consulate in attendance.

She told supporters she would be "not just a judge, but a community member, knowing that we sit in this bench with authority and power that's entrusted to us."

"I endeavor to do what is right simply because it is the right thing to do," Brown added.

Chief Judge Robert Leonard told guests the people of Cobb had chosen well.

He said, "The voters have delivered someone to us who I think is going to do an amazing job."