This is the thirtieth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Spencer Circuit Court Judge Jonathan A. Dartt is our judge featured in this issue. He grew up in Spencer County, Indiana and went to Indiana University in Bloomington, graduating in 1988 with B.A. Degrees in Criminal Justice and Biology and a Minor’s Certificate in Religious Studies. After college, he married his high school sweetheart, Angie Gehlhausen, who is also from Spencer County and also a lawyer.
He graduated from Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington in 1991, cum laude, and then served for one year as a law clerk for the Honorable William I. Garrard at the Court of Appeals of Indiana. He practiced law in Columbus, Indiana with Richard Eynon for three years, then moved back to his home county of Spencer to open a practice with Angie.
They practiced law together until Dartt was elected Spencer County Prosecuting Attorney in 1998, where he served for ten years. When Spencer Circuit Court Judge Wayne A. Roell decided to retire in 2008, he ran for and was elected to fill the vacant seat. He serves on the Indiana Judicial Conference Problem Solving Courts Committee.
Judge Dartt and Angie live outside of Rockport and have two children, Evan, age 16, and Emily, age 15.
What do you like most and least about being a trial court judge?
The most rewarding part of being a judge is making a positive difference in the life of a child. As the son of a school teacher, I have always had the pro-child mentality drilled into me and I use it for inspiration and make it the centerpiece of my court philosophy.
I require every juvenile and adult on probation to get their high school education, which we provide at no cost through a joint venture with Community Corrections and Oakland City University.
The worst part of being a trial judge is the administrative paperwork and not being able to solve or fix all the problems that we see each day. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished as we try to juggle a busy court calendar.
Why did you decide to study law?
My majors in college were Criminal Justice and Biology. Law and politics had always fascinated me in high school but I was not sure exactly what I wanted to do when I started college. I just knew I wanted to be part of a profession that helps people. I considered teaching like my dad, but in the end decided to do something different. I certainly do not regret my choice.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
If I were not a trial court judge, I would go back into private practice and reopen a law firm with my wife.
If I were not practicing law, I would be a teacher in some capacity as it is in my DNA. Even as a lawyer I have found ways to teach: coaching youth sports, substitute teaching, conducting mock trials with grade school students, and teaching Bible study and Sunday school.
Who are the people you most admire?
The people I most admire are my parents, Mark and Charlotte Dartt. My family is a true American success story. Mom and dad were married right after high school.
After their wedding, they lived in a broken down school bus—with no electricity or running water—that was parked in a field behind my great uncle’s home. They put in a wood stove and made do while they worked odd jobs. After I was born, we moved to a mobile home.
As I got older, I remember watching my dad get up each morning to hitchhike to Kentucky Wesleyan College. My mom worked to help support our family until dad got his degree. He graduated and became a teacher, and then later earned further specialized degrees. Through hard work, he went from an average student to a straight “A” student. He became a principal and then a superintendent at several different school corporations across the state.
A few years ago, we went back as a family and took pictures of that old school bus and talked about how far we had come as a family. They reminded me, “that’s where you came from—don’t forget it.” I used to be embarrassed by that part of my family’s history, but now I am proud of it and use it as a teaching example in Court.
What are your hobbies?
I have always tried to spend as much time as possible with the kids, and I have helped coach them in basketball, baseball, soccer, and softball. I am also active in our church, including writing and performing puppet shows for the children once a month.
I like to go outdoors, take a walk, take a drive, or log onto “Inside the Hall” and other Indiana University websites as I diligently follow recruiting and all things I.U.
What are your favorite books?
My favorite books are anything about Abraham Lincoln or anything written by John Grisham or Max Lucado. I recently read Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado. It is a good motivational book reminding us all that we were made to make a difference in this world. Two excellent books about the formative years of Abraham Lincoln in Indiana are There I Grew Up by William Bartelt and Lincoln’s Youth by Louis A. Warren.
How would you describe your childhood?
My childhood was great and involved a lot of camping, hiking, fishing, and swimming. Each summer our family would plan a camping trip to a different part of the United States. Mom and dad painted an outline of the U.S. on one entire wall in my bedroom and bought me a pennant for each state we visited. I ended up with pennants from over 40 states. I lost my dad to cancer last year and these memories are even more important to me now.
What is your favorite quote?
My staff gave me a large picture that hangs on my wall across from my desk, with the following inscription:
“PRIORITIES—A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove …but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
—Author Unknown
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
My family and I enjoy a cabin in the Smoky Mountains or relaxing on a beach anywhere. We just returned from a family vacation at Pensacola Beach, Florida. The island area between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach is breathtaking. As part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore there are miles of undeveloped land and beaches with white sand dunes and turquoise water as far as the eye can see.
Do you have a favorite meal or restaurant?
I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Although nothing will ever compare to my Grandma Dartt’s fried chicken or my Grandma Strahl’s homemade goulash, my wife’s pot roast comes close.
As far as restaurants, I love the potato soup and rolls at the Rockport Inn across the street from our Courthouse. I also always enjoy the world famous Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro, Kentucky which is right across the Ohio River Bridge from our county. I highly recommend it and guarantee you will not leave hungry!