John Michael (Jay) Mastin was sworn-in on January 18, 2013, at the Marshall County Courthouse in Albertville to fill a position as a District Judge for Marshall County. Jay is the son of Mike and Lindy Mastin, and the grandson of Joyce O’Brien and the late Seth Michael (Mickey) O’Brien, and great-grandson of Dot and Joe O’Brien.
Jay’s wife Natalie and his two daughters Hannah and Lydia were present and looking on as Jay took the oath of office from Judge Liles Burke, a former Marshall County District Judge, who is now a State of Alabama Appellate Judge. Other members of Jay’s family and many friends and colleagues were present to witness the investiture. An extended family member present to welcome Jay to his judgeship was Judge Pete Johnson, retired District Judge from Jefferson County.
Jay’s office is in Albertville in the courthouse annex. He and Judge Howard Hawk are designated as Marshall County’s two Family Court judges. They handle civil domestic relations, child support, and juvenile hearings.
We are all so proud of Jay as he has reached this milestone in his life. He graduated from Albertville High School in 2000. He received both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Auburn University in 2004. He graduated from Mississippi College School of Law in 2007, passed the Alabama State Bar, and began practicing law with his father in Albertville in 2007.
We wish Jay well in this very important work. A quote that Jay gave The Sand Mountain Reporter stated, “As an attorney, you can only do so much, but the opportunity to be a judge for deciding the types of cases about which you are passionate as a person is very special.”
Newly appointed District Judge Jay Mastin, left, was recently sworn in by
Alabama Criminal Appeals Court Judge Liles Burke.
(Photo published in the newspaper article.)
Recently appointed Albertville District Court Judge John Michael “Jay” Mastin, 30, was sworn into his new position Friday morning in the Albertville Courthouse.
As he took an oath to uphold the duties of his judgeship with his wife Natalie and daughters Hannah and Lydia looking on, the process of replacing Judge Tim Riley, who became the county’s third circuit judge earlier this month, was complete.
Riley, who was elected into a newly created position in the expansion of the circuit, will accompany Judge Tim Jolley and Judge Mitch Floyd at the Guntersville Courthouse, where all criminal cases, criminal violence, domestic custody, domestic violence, trust deliberations and simple misdemeanors will now be heard.
According to Mastin’s mother Lindy, his longtime legal mentor and friend Liles Burke, formerly of the Marshall Circuit Court, who is currently serving as a judge the Court of Criminal Appeals in Montgomery, made a special trip from the capital to swear him in.
“A friend of mine asked me if I had any funny memories of Jay in the courtroom and the thing is, there’s nothing funny about him. He’s a 60 year-old in a 19-year-old’s body,” Burke playfully joked in front of a ceremony audience full of Mastin’s colleagues, friends and family.
Currently, Mastin and Judge Howard Hawk are designated as Marshall County’s two Family Court judges with Hawk continuing to serve as Presiding Family Court Judge and Presiding Juvenile Judge.
Between Mastin and Hawk, the Albertville Courthouse will now handle all civic domestic relations, child support and juvenile hearings.
“We’ve become more specialized so I’ll be doing most juvenile and child support cases,” Mastin said.
Mastin, who played basketball while attending Albertville High School, completed his undergraduate education at Auburn University before going on to receive his law degree from Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss.
The judge said his main area of expertise over the years has been representing children as their guardian ad litem during legal proceedings as well as serving parents referred by the courts who couldn’t afford an attorney.
“The indigent defense contract is a yearly contract that I apply for with the state that any time a child comes in and they’ve gotten in trouble or have been abused, I make sure they are taken care of and put into a good home, “ he added.
“Since 2007, I’ve had a diverse practice over the years as an attorney alongside my father, who does primarily criminal defense work, but what I’m mostly excited about is being able to have the opportunity to represent kids and parents at this level.
“As an attorney, you can only do so much, but the opportunity to be a judge for deciding the types of cases your passionate about as a person is very special.”
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