Hancock county courts are facing a shortage of judges, and it's causing some cases to get delayed and costing taxpayers money, according to county prosecutor Jim Davis.  Senior level judges from Morgantown and Fairmont travel to Hancock County to fill in for full-time Judge Martin Gaughan, who has been out sick since last November. There are only four full-time judges in the circuit, Davis said.  According to Davis, the cases are becoming backlogged, and there's pressure on him and possibly other attorneys to try these cases. This year, the felony case load isn't light.  "Even with me trying to limit the number of cases I bring by indictment, we have now 120 cases this year that our substitute judges have had to face," said Davis.  Trials are pushed back because there aren't enough judicial days for the interim judges, Davis said. It's costing tax payers money, and not only for housing inmates in jail, Davis said.  "The additional cost is the tax payers of the state are paying for senior status judges. They get paid for every day they come up here" said Davis, who went on to explain a temporary solution. "Judge [Larry] Starcher will try to pick up an extra day or two there to handle motions and probation violations, housekeeping kind of things."  It's unclear when Gaughan will return to full-time status, but Davis said Gaughan is working hard to come back soon.