Lubbock County Justice of the Peace Jim Hansen is being remembered for his dedicated service to the county after the longtime judge died Saturday following a battle with cancer. He was 69.
Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish shared a statement Sunday confirming Hansen’s passing.
“Today, Brenda and I join Lubbock County citizens in mourning the loss of long time Lubbock County Justice of the Peace Jim Hansen, who passed away yesterday after a valiant battle with cancer,” Parrish wrote. “It is with heavy hearts that we send our deepest sympathies to Judge Hansen’s family, friends, and his staff in the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 office.”
Hansen was first elected as the Justice of the Peace for Lubbock County’s Precinct 1 in 1990 and was among the longest serving elected officials in Lubbock County history.
Jim Hansen
Flags at all Lubbock County buildings will be lowered to half staff in his honored Monday.
Earlier in November, Parrish announced Betty Dills, a longtime civil chief for the precinct, was appointed temporary justice of the peace for Precinct 1 as Hansen stepped aside. A long-term replacement will be named at a later time.
Hansen’s term was set to end in 2026.
Justices of the peace typically deal with class C misdemeanor cases including traffic tickets and civil matters in which the amount in contention does not exceed $10,000, according to the Texas Associated of Counties website. Justices of the peace also preside over small claims courts in actions for the recovery of money that does not exceed $10,000.
Hansen, who took the bench in 1991, recommended Dills to take over the court while he is away, hearing the scheduled dockets and processing case decisions, while he was absent from the office.
About Judge Jim Hansen
Hansen was a lifelong West Texan and a proud Red Raider, graduating from Texas Tech in 1978, according to his biography on the Lubbock County website. He and his wife Dixie are the proud parents to two Red Raider Honor Graduates.
Before taking office, Hansen worked as an award-winning television reporter in Lubbock for 13 years. In 1990, several community leaders asked the Hansen to run for Justice of the Peace, and Hansen was elected to the bench. In 1994, Lubbock County consolidated the J.P. precincts, and Hansen took over as the Judge for the newly created precinct 1, which covers the southwest quadrant of Lubbock County.
During his tenure, Hansen handled close to 200,000 cases: civil/criminal/ evictions/inquests and a variety of ancillary and adjunct matters required of the office.
He was the longest serving Republican, the longest serving judge, and the third longest serving elected official in Lubbock County history after the late U.S. Rep. George Mahon (44 years), and former Commissioner Alton Brazell (36 years).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock County JP Judge Jim Hansen dies, remembered for service
