Tarver sworn-in as southern district US Attorney

Published 11:13 am Saturday, December 19, 2009

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Attorney Ed Tarver has been sworn-in as the first black U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Tarver took the oath of office Friday afternoon in an overflowing federal courtroom in Augusta.

Retired Georgia Court of Appeals Judge John Ruffin Jr. told the crowd that Tarver’s long career as an attorney helped prepare him for the position. Ruffin was the first black superior court judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. He urged Tarver to keep his motives pure and to make sure his cause was always just.

Tarver takes over a district that covers 43 Georgia counties.