Web Exclusive: Meet the Judges: Clay Circuit Judge Joseph Trout 

Clay Circuit Judge Joseph Trout (Submitted photo)

He didn’t come from a family of lawyers, but Clay Circuit Judge Joseph Trout said he knew he was going to become an attorney. 

“I come from a family of farmers and school teachers, and even when I was getting ready to graduate from high school, I had pretty much made up my mind I was going to be a lawyer,” Trout said. 

Trout graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis Law School after completing his undergraduate degree at Indiana State University. 

He said he attended while Larry Bird was there and played on the baseball team for two years. 

Trout’s first job out of law school was with a sole practitioner and then he moved on to be a deputy prosecutor in Vigo County. 

“Most of my professional life as a lawyer was spent in Vigo County,” Trout said. 

Trout was elected to the bench in 2007. After 18 years he will be retiring at the end of this year. Republican David Thomas won the primary election and is not facing a challenger in November. 

Trout is the latest Indiana trial judge to be featured in Indiana Lawyer’s Spotlight series profiling jurists in more rural counties. Here is what he had to say about life on and off the bench.

What is something you have learned about yourself while being a judge? 

I’d say the old saying, “with great power comes great responsibility,” is true. I mean, we’re so responsible for decisions that affect people’s lives that we, including myself, should always do our best to get those decisions right. The job is probably more stressful than people think, and you have to learn how to handle that and still get all your work done.

What is something that surprised you about being a judge? 

For the last 20 years or so, the courts have been encouraged to participate more in pro se litigation. And what I mean by that is that there are some Thursdays and Fridays that I’m the only lawyer in the room the whole day. I have to ask all the questions as if I were a lawyer without taking sides, in order to gain enough facts to make a decision. And what’s really surprised me is so many people that used to hire a lawyer to present their case, just come in there and say to the judge: “I got a problem. You fix it.”

Do you have a favorite memory of your time as a judge? 

My favorite memories are the staff people that I’ve had over the years. I mean they’ve come and gone to some extent. But court reporters, bailiff assistants, judicial assistants. … “I mean I’ve truly enjoyed our friendships and our co-worker, team approach to the court, and I think we have done a job that we can all be proud of over the years. [Those are] probably my favorite memories, my relationships with all my co-workers over the years, and how we accomplished our work and still had time to enjoy each other and be friends. 

Another memory is in 2014 we had the 100-year anniversary of our courthouse. Myself and the superior court judge went up to Indianapolis and rented some early 1900 suits. We and other people from the historical society gave presentations on the history of the courts and the courthouse.

If you could, what is something you would change about the legal field? 

There’s so much direction from Indianapolis, and I’m not talking just about the Supreme Court. I’m talking about the Office of Court Services and things like that. I just don’t see why judges have to be grant writers. There are just so many reports and statistics that we have to provide Indianapolis. It does, in my opinion, affect the judge, the local judge’s ability to keep up with everything. It’s kind of overwhelming.

What do you like to do when you’re not on the bench? 

I like to bowl. I like to play golf. I like to go fishing with my sons. I like to be a big part of my grandchildren’s lives in regard to dance, sporting events and other extracurricular activities, and I enjoy my time off with my wife.