Mike Jacobs (born May 15, 1975) is an American trial judge and former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Jacobs was appointed to the fifth district of the State Court of

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missour ...

by Governor

Nathan Deal John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party in 1992 a ...

in 2015 district five, and was unopposed for reelection in 2016 and 2020. In 2018, Jacobs became the first sitting judge in the United States to come out as bisexual. He is also the first openly LGBTQ countywide elected official in DeKalb County history. Prior to his judicial service, Jacobs was a

member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

representing District 80, which included portions of

Brookhaven, Georgia Brookhaven is a city in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta that is located in western DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, directly northeast of Atlanta. On July 31, 2012, Brookhaven was approved in a referendum to become DeKalb County's 11th c ...

in DeKalb County and

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, ...

in Fulton County.

Early life and education

Jacobs was born May 15, 1975, and is Jewish. Jacobs earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1997 and his Juris Doctor from the

University of Georgia School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous ...

in 2003.

Career

Georgia House of Representatives

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 ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

, 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."

State court service

Following the appointment of Eleanor L. Ross to become district judge for the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from cases ...

, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Jacobs to replace her.

Personal life

Jacobs stated that after coming out, he felt comfortable participating in groups such as the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, and the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Mike 21st-century American politicians Bisexual men Georgetown University alumni Jewish American state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state) Living people Republican Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives People from Brookhaven, Georgia University of Georgia alumni LGBT judges LGBT appointed officials in the United States 1975 births 21st-century American Jews LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state)