This Giving Tuesday, help ensure voters have the information they need to make confident, informed decisions. Donate now!
Timothy Henderson (Kansas)
Timothy Henderson was a judge for Division 24 of the Kansas Eighteenth Judicial District.
Henderson ran for election for an at-large seat of the Goddard Unified School District 265 school board in Kansas. He lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.
He joined the court in 2000.[1] Henderson was defeated in the primary election on August 2, 2016. He resigned in September 2016.[2]
Education
Henderson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas in 1985. He was awarded his J.D. from Washburn University in 1989, graduating with dean's honors.[3]
Career
- 2000-2016: Judge, Eighteenth Judicial District
- 1997-2000: Chief counsel, Wichita Social and Rehabilitation Services
- 1992-1997: Area attorney, Emporia Social and Rehabilitation Services
- 1989-1992: Assistant district attorney, Shawnee County, Kansas[3]
Elections
2023
See also: Goddard Unified School District 265, Kansas, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Goddard Unified School District 265 school board At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Goddard Unified School District 265 school board At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jerry Longabaugh (Nonpartisan) | 15.6 | 2,569 | |
| ✔ | Nicole Hawkins-McWhorter (Nonpartisan) | 11.8 | 1,932 | |
| ✔ | Amanda Gish (Nonpartisan) | 11.7 | 1,929 | |
| ✔ | Jenny Simmons (Nonpartisan) | 11.2 | 1,834 | |
| Liz Hamor (Nonpartisan) | 8.7 | 1,426 | ||
| Timothy Henderson (Nonpartisan) | 8.1 | 1,331 | ||
| Titus Crockett (Nonpartisan) | 8.0 | 1,311 | ||
| Ginnie Ely (Nonpartisan) | 7.8 | 1,280 | ||
| Edward Cropper (Nonpartisan) | 5.9 | 974 | ||
| Rachel Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 818 | ||
| Nathan Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 3.3 | 541 | ||
| Noah Guinn (Nonpartisan) | 2.7 | 440 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 37 | ||
| Total votes: 16,422 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled.
Endorsements
Henderson received the following endorsements.
2016
Kansas held retention and partisan elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on August 2, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was June 1, 2016.[4] Tyler Roush defeated Shawn Elliott and incumbent Timothy H. Henderson in the Kansas Eighteenth Judicial District, Division 24 Republican primary.[5]
| Kansas Eighteenth Judicial District, Division 24 Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tyler Roush |
45.58% | 14,472 |
| Shawn Elliott | 39.05% | 12,397 |
| Timothy H. Henderson Incumbent | 15.37% | 4,881 |
| Total Votes | 31,750 | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed September 19, 2016 | ||
2012
- See also: Kansas judicial elections, 2012
Henderson ran unopposed for re-election to the Eighteenth Judicial District on November 6, 2012. He was re-elected to his seat after earning 99.1 percent of the vote (104,520 votes).[1] He ran in the election as a Republican.[6]
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
In 14 of the districts of the Kansas District Courts, judges are chosen in partisan elections.[7] These judges serve four-year terms and run for re-election at the end of their terms.[8]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[8]
- a state and district resident;
- a member in good standing of the state bar for at least five years; and
- under the age of 70. If a sitting judge turns 70 while on the bench, he or she may serve out the term.
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Timothy Henderson did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Henderson completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
Noteworthy events
Henderson charged with judicial misconduct violations; hearing held (2014)
The Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed formal charges for three judicial conduct violations against Henderson on March 21, 2014. The charges were the result of a complaint filed by Sedwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and involved inappropriate sexual comments allegedly made by the judge to female prosecutors.[9]
The first count alleged that Henderson sexually harassed female prosecutors appearing in his court on cases, expressed gender bias and created a hostile work environment. In testifying during the hearing, many women indicated they did not come forward to complain because they felt Henderson might ruin their careers.[9]
With regard to the second count, Henderson sent an email from his personal email account which was critical of an attorney who had appeared before him at the juvenile court. According to the charges, the commission indicated Henderson's email conveyed bias and prejudice and expressed hostility and dislike toward an attorney.
Henderson was also charged with using his judicial position for personal advantage. He was said to have approached a school board member, Lanora Franck, after his wife was not offered a teaching contract. Franck also worked as a juvenile justice education liaison at the county department of corrections and had contact with Henderson at the juvenile court.[9] Franck claimed she felt pressure to look into the matter after Henderson asked her about the situation with his wife. She noted he "had a reputation of becoming upset if he feels crossed." She ultimately learned his wife had been offered a teaching contract but did not accept it.[9] Franck also testified that she received compliments from Henderson about the way she looked "that made her uncomfortable."[9]
According to the Wichita Eagle, Henderson said in April that he believed the charges were politically motivated. "I deny these allegations," he reportedly said. Henderson claimed the charges were from people who were unhappy with changes he tried to make at the juvenile court since he became presiding judge in 2013.[9]
The commission reviewed the evidence in the matter in order to make a recommendation to the supreme court on what action should be taken with regard to Henderson. The panel recommended public censure, which is a published reprimand from the supreme court.[10]
Ninety-day suspension ordered (2015)
On February 27, 2015, the Kansas Supreme Court ordered that Henderson be suspended for 90 days without pay after finding him guilty of judicial misconduct. The court's opinion followed a recommendation by the Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications which found that Henderson had used "extremely poor judgment or blatantly misused the power of his judicial position" when he made “offensive and demeaning comments of a sexual nature to female attorneys and staff members.” Henderson's comments were described as "sexual and suggestive" in nature and included statements about women's anatomy and sex acts. The court also ordered that since Henderson did "not seem to appreciate why his conduct was unacceptable," he would have to complete a training course on sexual harassment, retaliation prevention and discrimination.[11] In addition to the harassment claims, the court found that Henderson had used his judicial position and influence to try and find employment for his wife, and that Henderson's "misconduct struck at the very heart of the honor and dignity that the public expects."[11]
The order can be read here In the Matter of Timothy H. Henderson, District Judge, Respondent
Second suspension recommended (2015)
An examiner for the Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed another complaint against Henderson in August 2015, claiming that the judge lied during testimony at his disciplinary hearing in May. Two former judges spoke in defense of Henderson at a commission hearing, saying that they considered him to be an honest person. Henderson's attorney argued that Henderson may not have always been politically correct, but that he did not say offensive or demeaning things.[12]
In October 2015, the commission found that Henderson made misleading statements, and it recommended that the state supreme court order a 30-day suspension as well as a public censure.[13] A disciplinary hearing was scheduled for September 12, 2016. Roush resigned the previous week.[2]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Timothy Hendnerson Kansas judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sedgwick County Elections Office, "November 6th, 2012 General Election Unofficial Results - Sedgwick County," November 16, 2012, accessed May 19, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Wichita Eagle, "Sedgwick County judge resigns ahead of disciplinary hearing," September 9, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 18th Judicial District Court, "Division 24, Judge Timothy Henderson," accessed May 19, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing Information," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2016 Primary," accessed June 2, 2016
- ↑ Sedgwick County Elections Office, "Current Candidate Listings," accessed May 19, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch, "Nominating Commissions," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Kansas," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Kansas.com, "Sedgwick County head juvenile court judge faces hearing on complaints," May 17, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Panel recommends public censure of Judge Timothy Henderson," July 8, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kansas.com, "Supreme Court suspends Judge Henderson for 90 days," February 27, 2015
- ↑ Kansas.com, "2 retired judges vouch for embattled Judge Henderson at hearing," August 18, 2015
- ↑ Topeka Capitol-Journal, "Kansas panel recommends second suspension for judge Timothy Henderson," October 6, 2015
