Judge Dan Favreau wears one robe, but he wears many hats in Morgan County.

“These people are used to having only one judge, “Said Judge Favreau.

That’s right, Judge Favreau is the only Common Pleas Court Judge, which means he hears every case presented there.

From civil cases, to criminal ones, divorces, family law, juvenile, probate matters—even dispute resolutions or DRs.

“I’ve got to think, Ok, I’m in juvenile court, this is what I’m dealing with here. “

He gets in at 6:30 every morning, he has two offices and even has two court rooms. The one downstairs is for juvenile and probate cases and the one upstairs is for everything else.

“I bounce from here to the general DR office all day long up stairs all day long, up and down, up and down, up and down.”

And when he doesn’t take the stairs, it’s the elevator.

In Morgan County, the caseload in the court of common pleas is small enough to be managed by a single judge.

The hardest cases? The ones involving where to place a child. It weighs on him.

“What you do there controls how that child lives and survives.”

His favorite cases are adoptions and here he is, still judge after 26 years.

“I figured these people would throw me out. Well they didn’t,” Judge Favreau said.

Perhaps it’s because he’s so down to earth.

“I’m just a dumb hillbilly who doesn’t know anything about anything.”

Or maybe it’s because he’s such a strong advocate for this county, as he dishes out advice for young people.

“All the kids are out of law school now and they want to get the job at the big law firms, that’s the big thing. They are wrong. You can come to a small place like this and make a bunch of money. The only difference, you have to work.”