Mike Jacobs (Georgia politician)

Mike Jacobs (born May 15, 1975) is a trial judge on the State Court of DeKalb County, Georgia. He presides over Division 5 of that court. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Nathan Deal in 2015 and was unopposed for re-election in 2016 and 2020.

For other uses, see Mike Jacobs (disambiguation).

Prior to his judicial service, Jacobs was a Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives representing District 80, which included portions of Brookhaven, Georgia in DeKalb County and Sandy Springs, Georgia in Fulton County.

Jacobs earned his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2003 and his bachelor's degree (B.A.) from Georgetown University in 1997. He is Jewish.

Jacobs was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2004 as a Democrat. He narrowly defeated his Republican opponent, J. Max Davis, by a margin of 51-49%. In 2006, he defeated Republican Tom Elliott by a margin of 66-34%. On June 19, 2007, he switched to the Republican Party. He was re-elected in 2008 (against Independent Michelle Conlon) and 2010 (against Democrat Sandy Murray) with 67% and 66% of the vote, respectively. In 2012, he was unopposed. In 2014, he defeated Catherine Bernard in the Republican Primary, 75-25%, and had no opponent in the November election.

Jacobs was chairman of the MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC), a joint legislative committee charged with reviewing the finances and management of Atlanta's transit system. He chaired one of two subcommittees of the House Judiciary Committee. He also served on the Transportation, Insurance, Juvenile Justice, and Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight committees.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, although Jacobs "was best known locally for drafting legislation creating the city of Brookhaven, he also staked out a reputation statewide as an advocate for LGBT rights. He sponsored legislation forcing the state to develop an anti-bullying policy after the suicide of an 11-year-old who was attacked by homophobic slurs. And in 2015 he halted a 'religious liberty' measure by adding an amendment that said it could not be used to discriminate against same-sex couples or others."[1]

In 2018, Jacobs became the first sitting judge in the United States to come out as bisexual.[2] He is also the first openly LGBTQ countywide elected official in DeKalb County history.

References
  1. "AJC.com » DeKalb judge at center of 2015 'religious liberty' fight comes out as bisexual". AJC.com. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  2. "Bi.org » Legally Bi: Finally, A Bi Judge". Bisexual.org. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
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