Judge Joe Hensley is one of three nominees to fill a vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District.

Paul C. Wilson, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri and chair of the Appellate Judicial Commission, on Monday submitted the finalists to Gov. Mike Parson.

According to Wilson, the commission unanimously supports the three nominees. They were selected based on approximately 2.5 hours of public interviews, approximately two hours of deliberations and seven rounds of balloting. 

The other two nominees are Jennifer R. Grocock, a circuit judge in Christian County, and Laura J. Johnson, the presiding judge in Christian County.

The vacancy exists because of the retirement Judge Nancy Steffen Rahmeyer.

Parson has 60 days to make his selection. Should he fail to do so, the Missouri Constitution directs the commission to make the appointment.

Hensley is an associate circuit judge and the presiding juvenile judge in Jasper County (29th Judicial Circuit). He was born in 1973 and resides in the Webb City R-7 School District. Following his graduation from Webb City High School, he earned his bachelor of arts, summa cum laude and with honors, in 1995 in psychology and his law degree in 1998, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He received seven votes.

Hensley’s application to fill the appellate court vacancy is below.