The first Black person to be elected to a countywide position in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was sworn in as a state court judge on Thursday, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Ronda Colvin-Leary made history when she won the seat in May. Previously, Black judges had been only appointed in the county to serve on the juvenile, recorders and magistrate courts.
“I love state court because, for me, I like to think that … if you come to state court we can try to address it before something else major happens and you wind up in superior court for a more serious offense,” Colvin-Leary told the AJC.
The Florida Coastal School of Law graduate became a member of the Georgia bar in 2001 and served as Winder, Georgia’s solicitor, before the election.
In her new position, she will oversee civil actions, misdemeanor cases and traffic violations.
