Section 4.11Chief judge; associate judge
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Plain English: what this chapter covers
The Charter is Ashburn's founding document, kind of like the city's constitution. It was passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2001. It sets up a council of a mayor and five councilmembers, a hired city manager who runs day-to-day operations, the municipal court, how elections and vacancies work, and the city's taxing, budgeting and borrowing powers. Anything the Charter doesn't cover is handled by city ordinance or state law.
(a) The shall be presided over by a chief judge and such part-time, full-time, or stand-by judges as shall be provided by .
(b) No person shall be qualified or eligible to serve as a judge on the unless that person shall have attained the age of 21 years [and] shall possess all qualifications required by law. All judges shall be appointed by the city council and shall serve until a successor is appointed and qualified.
(c) Compensation of the judges shall be fixed by .
(d) Judges shall serve a term of one year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Judges shall be sworn in at the first council meeting each year, and in the event a new judge is appointed, the current judge shall serve until a successor is appointed or the judge is removed from office. The terms and conditions of the judge's appointment shall be memorialized in a written agreement.
(e) Before assuming office, each judge shall take an oath, given by the mayor, that such judge will honestly and faithfully discharge the duties of the judge's office to the best of the judge's ability and without fear, favor, or partiality. The oath shall be entered upon the minutes of the city council journal required in Section 2.19 of this Charter.
History: (Ord. No. 2017-01, § 1, 1-5-2017)
This is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. The official code is on Municode and at City Hall. Our copy is from April 30, 2026.
Online: https://jamesburgessleads.com/city-code/PTICH_ARTIVJUBR_S4.11CHJUASJU
Official version: https://library.municode.com/GA/Ashburn/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTICH_ARTIVJUBR_S4.11CHJUASJU
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