Judge Mike Jacobs has served since June 2015 on the State Court of DeKalb County, Georgia. He is the first openly bisexual person to serve as a trial or appellate judge in the United States. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Jacobs served ten and a half years in the Georgia House of Representatives. His legislative service included five years as chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Oversight Committee (MARTOC), the joint House and Senate committee that oversees the management, budget, and fiscal affairs of Metro Atlanta’s transit system. In 2010, he received the Allen Thornell Political Advancement Award from Georgia Equality for passing a stronger anti-bullying law for public schools. Judge Jacobs received his law degree in 2003, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was the executive articles editor of the Georgia Law Review. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1997 from Georgetown University. Judge Jacobs serves on the boards of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, and Leadership DeKalb. He also serves on the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Committee on Access to Justice. Judge Jacobs was recognized by the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia in 2019 with its award for Outstanding Service to the Stonewall Community and by the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges in 2020 with one of its President’s Awards.
Hon. Mike Jacobs
Progress and Barriers Toward Visibility and Inclusion of Bisexual+ People in the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement: Learning from Movement Leaders