Cooke County GOP

Swearing-in Ceremony scheduled for New Year’s Day

Cooke County’s newly elected or reelected public officials will begin their terms in office on January 1, 2021, with a swearing-in ceremony in the District Courtroom of the Cooke County Courthouse, starting at 10 a.m.

The format of the biennial event has been modified, taking safety guidelines into consideration, according to Cooke County Republican Party Chair Chris McNamara, who coordinated arrangements with County Judge Jason Brinkley.

The swearing-in will be a private ceremony, with one official at a time invited into the Courtroom, accompanied by a maximum of two guests, to take the oath of office. The ceremony will be streamed on Facebook Live, and the public is invited to log in and observe. This year, there will be no reception following the swearing-in.

In addition to District Judge Janelle Haverkamp, four justices from the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth will be present to administer oaths. They are Justice Dabney Bassel, Justice J. Wade Birdwell, Justice Lee Gabriel and Justice Mike Wallach.

Newly elected or reelected public officials being sworn in are Janelle M. Haverkamp, District Judge; John Warren, District Attorney; Ed Zielinski, County Attorney; Ray Sappington, Sheriff; Brandy Ann Carr, County Tax Assessor-Collector; Gary Hollowell, County Commissioner Pct. 1; Adam P. Arendt, County Commissioner Pct. 3; John J. (Jody) Henry, Justice of the Peace Pct. 1; Mark Westbrook, Constable Pct. 1; Chuck Owen, Constable Pct. 2.

For more information, contact Republican County Chair Chris McNamara, 940-665-8683, or by email to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Follow the Cooke County Republican Party on Facebook for updates and information, or go to www.cookegop.com.