Vic Reynolds, Julie Jacobs sworn in as Cobb Superior Court judges

Aug. 16—ATLANTA — Vic Reynolds and Julie Adams Jacobs were sworn in Monday as the newest members of the Cobb Superior Court bench.

Gov. Brian Kemp administered the oath of office to Reynolds, former Cobb district attorney and director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Jacobs, a longtime attorney in the state attorney general's office, in a pair of small private ceremonies at the Capitol.

The duo replaces retiring Superior Court Judges LaTain Kell and Mary Staley Clark.

"I told Vic, I can't believe I'm doing this," Kemp joked. "This might be one of the worst decisions I've made in three and a half years."

Among those coming to the Capitol to congratulate Reynolds were former Gov. Roy Barnes, former Congressman George "Buddy" Darden, Attorney General Chris Carr, former Attorney General and Cobb Chairman Sam Olens, Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens, former Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes, Judge Kell, and Cobb State Court Judge Jaret Usher.

"If I was 10 years younger, I'd do a second term with (Kemp)," said Reynolds, flanked by his wife Holly Reynolds. "...I promise you that I'm going to be a good judge. I'm going to be fair, I'm going to be punctual. I'm going to be ready to listen. I realize there's a lot I don't know, so I'll listen to the lawyers, but in the end I'm going to do what I think's right based on the law and the facts."

Shortly after Reynolds' swearing in, Sheriff Owens' Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Register was named his replacement as GBI director.

Many in the crowd stuck around to see off Jacobs, who has worked in the attorney general's office for nearly 20 years and was the deputy attorney general of the Commercial Transactions and Litigation Division.

"If you're here, it's because you supported me from day one — maybe even when other people didn't think I could do it, everybody in this room did," said Jacobs, joined by her husband Chad Jacobs and daughters Clara and Ellie. "So I thank you so much."