The Honorable Roy Gabbert. left, was sworn in as Adams County Court Judge on Dec. 29, 2018. Also pictured at the swearing-in ceremony are, from left, Amy Gabbert, Lucy Gabbert, Gay Ann Gabbert, and Betty Miller Gabbert. (Provided photo)

By Patricia Beech-

Following 28 years of practicing law in Adams County, West Union native and Ohio State University graduate Roy Gabbert was sworn in as County Court Judge on Saturday, Dec. 29.
“I feel my career and my life have led me to this point,” Gabbert said. “They have led me to be prepared for the work and they have provided the experience that can be trusted to make good decisions for genuinely good outcomes.”
Judge Gabbert’s sister, Gay Ann, administered the Statutory Oath in a ceremony held at the Adams County Courthouse. The Gabbert family Bible used for the oath was held by Judge Gabbert’s wife, Amy, and daughter, Lucy. Also present, and “bursting with pride” was the Judge’s mother, Betty Miller Gabbert.
Gabbert won the judge’s seat in the Nov. 2018 election, defeating Republican candidate Barbara Moore.
He says the qualities required in a judge are the same as those required of all people – do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly.
“I ran for the Adams County Court because I understand that a judge must first ‘do justice’ because we live in a world of right and wrong,” he says. “A judge must also ‘love kindness’ by treating everyone in the courtroom with courtesy and respect, never ruling based on political division and finally, a judge must ‘walk humbly’ understanding that legal precedent and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers provide guidance for the jurist. “
Gabbert, 53, is a lifelong resident of Adams County. He earned a B.A., summa cum laude, and a J.D. (Juris Doctorate) degree with honors from The Ohio State University in 1989.
As a private practice attorney, Gabbert has spent nearly three decades helping his clients find solutions for a wide range of legal problems including tax issues, real estate, probate estate, traffic, and misdemeanors.
Additionally, he has served since 1997 as the acting judge for Adams County Court, and has been a member of the Adams County Board of Elections for more than eight years, including a term as the Chairman of the Board of Elections where he was often confronted with finding resolutions to highly charged political situations.
Gabbert says both positions, in addition to his experience as a solo practitioner, helped prepare him for the judiciary.
In 2018 he told the University of Akron’s Judicial Votes Count website that he has “learned to listen with an open ear” and “think patiently with an open mind in any situation”.
“My life and my legal experience have trained me to seek a genuinely good outcome,” he said. “Hard work and common sense will be my guide, as they always have been.”
Calling Adams County Court a “judicial portal for the front line of rural America’s addiction problem”, he said the courtroom is where most citizens first come in contact with the effects of Appalachia’s opioid and meth problems – either as addicted defendants or as a victims of drug-related crimes, such as burglary.
“The Adams County Court deals with these problems in their rawest and first iteration, when the wounds are the freshest on the body of our community,” says Gabbert. “Situations like this require hard work, common sense, patience, and open-mindedness from a Judge.”
Judge Gabbert began serving his six-year term as Adams County Court Judge on Jan. 1. He is succeeding the Honorable Judge Alan Foster, who recently retired from the bench.