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.