Jim Hansen (R)

Last modified on: 03-14-2022 14:36:02

Justice of the Peace
(Lubbock)

Term Ends: 12-31-2026 District: 1

General Information



Personal Information

Judge Jim Hansen grew up in Midland, and attended Texas Tech on an academic/community service scholarship. He graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and a double minor in business and marketing.

The Judge worked in television news for 13 years, winning approximately thirty awards. In 1990, various friends, attorneys, and members of law enforcement encouraged the Judge to run for a newly created Justice of the Peace Precinct in Lubbock County. Judge Hansen won the election, and took office in 1991. In 1994, Lubbock County consolidated the J.P. precincts, and Judge Hansen took over as the Judge for the newly created precinct 1 (the southwest quadrant of Lubbock County).

During his tenure, Judge Hansen has presided over around 85,000 criminal cases, 18,000 civil cases, 5,000 evictions, 1200 inquests, and a variety of ancillary and adjunct matters required of the office. The Judge has over 600 hours of continuing legal education, and have served as an instructor and mentor to hundreds of other judges.

Accomplishments
Shortly after taking office, Judge Hansen created an alcohol awareness protocol for convicted minor alcohol offenders, requiring each offender to attend an Alcohol Awareness Class created by the Judge through the now-defunct Lubbock Regional Council on Alcohol and drug Abuse. As a part of the class, each participant was required to take a SASSI test revealing their propensity toward drug or alcohol addiction. The “M.I.P. program” caught fire in Lubbock County and quickly spread to courts in the SPAG region of the panhandle. In 1994, the Texas Legislature mandated that all 254 counties of Texas offer an alcohol awareness program similar to the one developed in Lubbock County.

Judge Hansen has helped to recover millions of dollars in hot check restitution, kept kids in school, and protected victims of domestic violence. For nearly two decades, Judge Hansen has been the “go to” person after hours for felony filings, search warrants, and juvenile warnings.

Judge Hansen has served on a myriad of committees for Lubbock County, and is recognized as an innovator. He has assisted in developing dozens of computer protocols and technology enhancements, including EWarrants, EFiling, and credit card technology. He has assisted in the development of dozens of computer protocols to streamline and improve the Justice Courts. In the 2004 Lubbock Bar poll, Judge Hansen was rated second among all Lubbock County Judges.

Judge Hansen was selected as the 2007 Judge of the year as selected by the Texas Justice Court Judge’s Association. In the last decade, Judge Hansen has been one of the most instrumental judges in the State in improving the educational opportunities for Judges. In addition, the Judge established the first comprehensive interactive website for Judges statewide, and served as chairman of the statewide J.P. technology committee for six years.

Until recently, Judge Hansen served as statewide editor of the JCJ newsletter, informing judges and clerks across the state regarding technology, legislation, and other pertinent issues.

In the last legislative session, Judge Hansen was one of five Judges selected statewide to participate in a fact gathering conference for legislation. He also served on the Supreme Court’s Justice and Municipal workshop, and played an instrumental role in developing legislation adopted during the last session.
Judge Hansen has been happily married for 23 years and has two children.

Contact and Phone Numbers

P.O. Box 10536
Lubbock, TX 79408
(806) 775-1547
(806) 775-7956
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General Contact for Lubbock
904 Broadway, Ste. 101
P.O. Box 10536
Lubbock, TX 79408-3536
(806) 775-1335
(806) 775-7950
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www.co.lubbock.tx.us/