Hon. Laura J. Johnson

Laura Johnson is the presiding judge of the 38th Judicial Circuit Court in Missouri, having been elected on November 4, 2014 to complete the term of the late Judge Mark Orr. She has served in this capacity since then, overseeing civil and criminal matters within the circuit. Prior to her judicial appointment, Johnson worked as an associate at Ellis, Ellis, Hammons & Johnson, P.C., and served as a law clerk for Judge Elmo B. Hunter of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1985 and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1988. Johnson is an active member of several professional and community organizations, including the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Labor Law Committee, the Court Appointed Special Advocates Board, the Least of These Food Pantry, the Ozark Rotary Club, Missouri Right to Life, and the National Rifle Association.