TAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY ISSUE: THE LOVE & LAW ISSUE TAL JANUARY:FEBRUARY EDITION FINAL 2.16 | Page 9

IN THE PROFESSION
To serve the public demand for courthouse weddings in Georgia ’ s most populous county , we had to get creative . As the only judge in Probate Court , It was too difficult for me to perform all the wedding ceremonies myself , so I arranged for several Probate Court Clerks to become online ordained ministers to perform wedding ceremonies .
Judge Kenya Johnson performing a wedding in Fulton county .
Second , we also have many themed events like offering costume weddings on Halloween called “ Til Death Do Us Part ,” Valentine ’ s Day ceremonies and even live ceremonies on “ The Love Float ” during the Atlanta Pride parade . This helps make the events more festive for everyone .
For more information on free courthouse weddings , visit FultonProbateGa . org .
HON . BERRYL A . ANDERSON DeKalb County Magistrate Court baanderson @ dekalbcountyga . gov

T he DeKalb County Magistrate Court has always celebrated love . For decades , the Court hosted free marriage ceremonies open to the public without an appointment . This year , Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl A . Anderson decided to focus on Valentine ’ s Day for the Court ’ s celebration of love . On February 14 , the Court hosted personal nuptials for couples . Couples signed up for their very own marriage appointments in advance . During designated time slots , Magistrate judges officiated the weddings in both English and Spanish . The Court ’ s celebration of love was a huge success , witnessing the union of dozens of couples .

Judge Berryl Anderson performing a wedding in DeKalb County . www . atlantabar . org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 9