Sallay Jusu sworn in as Dougherty County Magistrate Court judge

ALBANY – It’s not every day that a father travels more than 4,000 miles to see his daughter take her place on her first day on the job, but for Michael Jusu such a journey was important.

Jusu’s daughter, Sallay Jusu, was sworn in on Monday as the newest Dougherty County Magistrate Court judge, replacing retiring Judge Michael Meyer von Bremen.

“I would not miss this,” the proud father, who lives in Sierra Leone, said. “That’s my daughter, my only daughter.”

To arrive as a surprise for Sallay Jusu, who broke down in tears when her father walked into a courtroom at the Dougherty County Judicial Building, Michael Jusu flew to Washington’s Dulles International Airport and then to Atlanta. He drove to Albany. In all the trip took more than 24 hours.

“For her to get a recognition like this, I can only support her,” he said. “I cannot afford to miss that. For a loving, hard-working daughter, believe me, you do everything you can.”

The new judge’s mother, Emma Williams, was also in attendance, with a number of other family members, friends and colleagues in the Dougherty County legal community.

Sallay Jusu is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and from the Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, Fla. She obtained her J.D. degree in 2012.

State Court Judge John Stephenson selected Jusu from a pool of applicants.

Prior to her appointment, she served as chief deputy district attorney in the Dougherty County District Attorney’s office. She initially worked in the State Court Division and later in the Felony Division.

Jusu said she had originally thought she would work in family law, but through what she described as “divine intervention” she ended up on the prosecutorial side in Albany, Georgia.

“I was in the DA’s office, March 6 would have been 9 years, (so) about nine years,,” Jusu said following the swearing-in ceremony and after donning her new black robe. “I’m lost for words.

“I want to be a God-fearing judge, a fair judge, an impartial judge, a judge of service.”