Athens-Clarke County will have a new Chief Magistrate Judge next year. Benjamin Makin has been an associate judge in the Magistrate Court for nearly ten years. He moves to the top position on January 1, following the retirement of the current Chief Magistrate Judge, Patricia Barron, after two decades on the bench.
Makin was appointed by a majority vote of the four Superior Court judges in the Western Circuit. He is a graduate of the UGA Law School and a former public defender in the Western Judicial Circuit.