The Cobb County Superior Court bench is looking to hire a new chief judge for Magistrate Court—soon.

“Realizing how vital the magistrate's office is, I think the judges are going to try to move quickly,” Court Administrator Tom Charron said Wednesday, which was the deadline for applications for the job.

“As of about 15 minutes ago, applications are closed,” Charron said shortly after noon. He said he hadn't yet counted the stack of applications on his desk, figuring he'd allow a grace period until Monday, with the July 4th holiday and weekend coming, in case more want to apply. He said he'd put together a list of candidates early next week for the judges to consider.

The post has been open since Monday, when Joyette Holmes became district attorney, appointed and sworn in by Gov. Brian Kemp to replace Vic Reynolds, whom Kemp appointed to head the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The Cobb County Superior Court appointed Holmes in 2015 to fill the chief magistrate job after Frank Cox resigned. Cox, a longtime chief magistrate, had been the subject of complaints to the Judicial Qualifications Commission from litigants and lawyers alleging abusive treatment from him.

A total of 24 lawyers applied for the job then. The court narrowed them down to a short list of three, then chose Holmes.

The magistrate court is the “court of first resort,” conducting the first hearings to those accused of crimes, as well as settling small claims disputes. The court operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has a large staff.

Holmes has noted that the chief's job is as much administrative as legal. At her investiture for the DA's job Monday, judges and staff from the court she left behind gave her an emotional send off. Judge Kellie Hill said at the investiture that Holmes has “transformed the magistrate court.”

After being appointed chief magistrate in 2015, Holmes had to run for election to the job in 2016. The lawyer who is chosen to replace Holmes will have to run for election in 2020.