The tools of the trade are simple enough. A robe and a gavel. A bench that is elevated.

But there is much more to being a judge, as state Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Hudock can attest after more than 30 years in the job.

"It is terrifying in some ways," said Judge Hudock, 71, who is retiring this week. "You have people's lives and their children's lives in your hands, and you hope you're doing the right thing.

"But, you see, my father was a state policeman. And I sort of learned from him that you have an obligation to people. I think he was very fair with people, and, as a judge, I've tried to be understanding and compassionate with people."

Born in Greensburg, Judge Hudock now lives in Unity. He attended Saint Vincent College and Duquesne University School of Law. After serving in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps from 1963 to 1967, he practiced law in Greensburg for 11 years.

He was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County in 1977 and served for 12 years before being elected to the Superior Court in November 1989. He was retained for another 10-year term in 1999.

"I've had the full gamut," he said. "When I was in the trial court, every day was a new day, and you never knew what awaited you."

The cases he has ruled upon have ranged from high-profile murders, such as those committed by John Lesko and Steven Mignogna, to whether a case should be retried because the presiding judge spat tobacco throughout the trial. He's even had the burden of awarding a pet squirrel and a dog named Smurf in custody cases.

"It sounds silly, but it was very emotional for the people involved," Judge Hudock said.

The view from behind the bench is very different. The perspective and the responsibility, he said, can be awesome.

"Sadly, we very often see the worst of people," he said. "And we see people who are disadvantaged and disabled. It's very difficult to have to deal with.

"When you think about the differences in situations, my goodness, it is so hard to dispense equal justice to all. But that is what the ideal is. And that is what I've tried to do."

He has tried to leave the rulings and the responsibilities behind the bench at night, but it isn't easy.

"The ones you really take home are the ones with children, the custody cases," he said. "When I was first on the bench, I dealt with custody cases exclusively for two years. Those are the ones you take home, because you're taking a child away from its mother or from its father. And who knows if you're right?

"The sensational cases, the murder cases, those were fairly easy. The guy did it. There isn't the media attention on the custody cases, but those are the ones that really hit home."

As word of his pending retirement has spread, Judge Hudock has heard from numerous colleagues and lawyers from other parts of the country, who at one time or another practiced before him.

His retirement promises him more time with his wife, Rita, with whom he has four grown children -- Joseph Jr., Ann, Daniel and Mary -- and six grandchildren.

But he isn't entirely ready to hang up the robe. He has applied to the state Supreme Court to return as a part-time senior judge. It's an appointment he hopes to get, and a role to which he will continue to bring the approach that has served him for so long.

"Be human," he said. "It's very difficult being God. [The work] has been hard, but it's been rewarding. I'm very happy with my career, and I hope I've done some good."