MASON — After nearly three decades as Mason Municipal Court judge, David K. Batsche will be passing his robe and gavel to someone else at the end of the year.

        Judge Batsche recently announced he will not seek a sixth consecutive term on the bench. He says he wants to spend more time with his private law practice — Batsche and Batsche Law Offices in Mason — and give others a chance to hold the seat.

David K. Batsche

        “It's just beginning to become very time-consuming and leaves me in my own law office less and less,” Judge Batsche said. “Plus, there are a lot of guys out there who have been waiting a long time for this position.”

        Judge Batsche was a Warren County prosecutor for one year and Mason's prosecutor for four years before his election in 1971 to the Municipal Court. At 29, he was thought to be the youngest municipal judge elected in Warren. During his 30 years on the bench, Judge Batsche was known for his fairness, compassion — and low fines.

        “I think Judge Batsche is a very fair-minded individual, and he has always struck me as a person who cares very much about people,” said Robert Peeler, Mason's prosecutor for the past 17 years. “I think he truly is a person who is more interested in making sure that he made the right decision, as opposed to what might be the more politically popular decision.”

        Judge Batsche says what he will miss most about his judgeship is the ability to help people.

        “As a judge, you are given a lot of power; and that power can determine the outcome to a lot of people's lives and their pocketbooks,” Judge Batsche says. “While I have had to punish a lot of people who have come before me, I've always tried to make sure that they understood why, and I always tried to help them get their lives straightened out if I could.”

        After hanging up his robe, Judge Batsche says he also plans to spend more time with his son Andrew, a public defender in the Warren County court system and a partner at Batsche and Batsche, and with his wife and two daughters.

        He says he will also indulge in his favorite hobbies, including nature walks and collecting American Indian artifacts.

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