In the first-ever election for the post, incumbent Fulton County Chief Magistrate Cassandra Kirk overwhelmed challenger Louis Levenson, pulling in 73.6 percent of the 103,811 votes cast to Levenson's 27,351.

Kirk has served as chief magistrate since 2015 after being appointed to the job by Gov. Nathan Deal as part of a reorganization of the Magistrate Court authorized by the General Assembly.

Levenson served as a part-time magistrate on the court for three decades prior to Kirk's appointment, and he had criticized her handling of the court on the campaign trail.

“I would like to thank the voters of Fulton County and welcome the opportunity to continue to move Fulton Magistrate Court forward through innovation and collaboration with all the Justice Partners,” Kirk said in a short emailed response to a request for comment.

Kirk was previously an associate juvenile court judge, where she led the effort establish the county's first juvenile drug court.

She also has served as an assistant district attorney in the Alcovy and Atlanta circuits and as director of legal services for the Georgia Merit System. Kirk began her career as a litigator at labor and employment boutique Stokes & Murphy.