Cherokee County has a new associate magistrate judge.
Canton attorney Paul Ghanouni was sworn in at the Cherokee County Justice Center by Chief Probate Judge Keith Wood in a small ceremony.
Ghanouni, who is a principal of The Law Offices of Paul Ghanouni, P.C., has argued cases in all levels of the Cherokee County judicial system and has appeared before the Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
Ghanouni studied law at Georgia State University.
Magistrate court is Georgia's small claims court, dealing with small cases such as property damage and any monetary claims of less than $15,000. Each county has its own magistrate court, and magistrate judges can issue subpoenas and can sentence offenders to up to 10 days in jail.