With not one but two oaths of office, Bob Pirkle was sworn in as the new Hinesville Municipal Court judge in the city council chambers.

Mayor pro tem Vicky Nelson administered an oath, followed by an oath from Supreme Court of Georgia Justice John Ellington.

“When we came here, there were 2,600 people,” Pirkle said after being sworn in. “We became according to the Wall Street Journal ‘the fastest growing community in the United States.’ But I grew up in a small town. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. I was exhilarated to know that I would come back and be of service to my hometown.”

Ellington, a Vidalia native, served as municipal court judge for several cities, including Reidsville, Lyons, Mt. Vernon and Ailey. He was named to the state Court of Appeals bench after serving as a Superior Court judge. In fact, his last time on a Superior Court bench came when he filled in for Judge David Cavender in Liberty County.

“I want to thank all of the people in this community who serve to make it special,” he said. “I always enjoy coming back to the 912 area code.”

Justice Ellington said he and Pirkle go back nearly 30 years.

“He will promote confidence in our system and he will do justice to the rich and the poor, without fear or favor, and I know that he will do a good job and he will make this community proud.

“As a judge, the only fun things you got to do as a trial judge were adoptions and swearing-in ceremonies, and I don’t get to do adoptions at Supreme Court,” Ellington said.

In swearing in new lawyers recently, Ellington said there were some things for which there are no substitutes.

“There are no substitutes for truth, honesty and integrity,” he said.

Luke Moses, an attorney with Osteen Law Group and the city court prosecutor, and Pirkle’s daughter Elizabeth Huggins, also an attorney, introduced Justice Ellington. Moses and Huggins clerked for Justice Ellington.

“I don’t think there’s anybody more popular,” Pirkle said of Ellington.