Judge Hensley receiving the McMillian Judicial Excellence Award from Missouri Bar President, John Grimm
Judge Hensley
Judge Hensley is the seventh Jasper County judge to sit in Division 5 since its inception in 1947.
After the first three Division 5 judges each served one year, Division 5 only changed hands four times in the next 70 years! This is due in large part to the long career of Judge Richard D. Copeland, who held the position for 33 years from 1981 until the end of 2014, making him one of the longest serving judges in Missouri history.
Due to Jasper County’s unique two-courthouse system, the Division 5 judge is the only associate judge that holds court in Joplin, the sixth largest metropolitan area in Missouri. Division 5’s caseload in one week therefore often exceeds what other counties might see in an entire year.
After Judge Hensley was elected in 2014, he added additional responsibilities to Division 5’s caseload, including the Juvenile docket and, in 2019, became the Presiding Juvenile Court Judge.
The Theodore McMillian Judicial Excellence Award
At the annual meeting of the Missouri Bar in 2022, Judge Hensley was recognized by the Missouri Bar with one of its highest honors: the McMillian Judicial Excellence Award. Established in 2004, the award is presented to a judge each year who sets an example of judicial excellence by leadership in the advancement of the administration of justice, providing outstanding public and community service to the people of the state of Missouri and a person of the highest character, integrity and honor who inspires other members of the judiciary to similar noble purpose. Judge Hensley is the first judge from Jasper County to receive this honor.