With his wife and two grandmothers alongside, Michael McGirt was sworn in Wednesday afternoon as the Liberty County chief magistrate.
McGirt was named an associate magistrate six months ago, when longtime chief magistrate judge Melinda Anderson retired. Paula Hendrix was named as chief magistrate, but her husband Mark Hendrix since has been appointed to a new Superior Court judgeship created in the Atlantic Judicial Circuit.
“First, I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support, the motivation, the push,” McGirt said. “I am humbly stepping into this position but I will remain true to who I am, that is walking in integrity, operating in love and everything will take care of itself.”
McGirt also thanked the magistrate court office staff and said “magistrate court 2.0” will continue.
“From day one, everyone has been the greatest gift in this journey that I could ask for,” he said.
McGirt also said he is glad Paula Hendrix isn’t going too far away — she will return to being a staff attorney for the other Superior Court judges — so he can lean on her knowledge.
“We’ve gone through a lot together,” Hendrix said. “Michael is so humble. He is such a good family man. He is so intelligent and compassionate. He is not too proud to say, ‘I need to look more into this.’ He is such a great person. That just makes him an incredible judge, because he is looking at a fair and compassionate standpoint. And not everybody would do that in that position. I am just so proud of him.”
McGirt is also the first Black chief magistrate judge in the county’s history.
Liberty County Commission Chairman Donald Lovette, who is on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance Committee, which hands out an annual Trailblazer Award, called McGirt a trailblazer.
“This is an historic day that I didn’t want to miss,” he said. “It’s just a momentous occasion.”
McGirt also said he will qualify to run for the seat, which is up for election this year. Qualifying will be held March 4-8.
“Today, it is a proud day to be in Liberty County,” Commissioner Marion Stevens added. “Thank you, Judge Hendrix, for your recommendation, because you believed in him.”
Said Commissioner Justin Frasier, “You passed the torch to a phenomenal young man.”