Rural Justice Initiative Committee

Committee delivers final report

After two years of study, the Rural Justice Initiative Committee delivered its report to the Kansas Supreme Court.

Rural Justice Initiative Committee Executive Summary of Final Report
Rural Justice Initaitive Committee Final Report
Rural Justice Initiative Committee releases report and recommendations (news release)
 

Purpose

The Kansas Rural Justice Initiative Committee charge is to study general population trends, as well as trends related to attorneys and other legal professionals who support court and court-adjacent programs. It also looks for differences in unmet legal needs related to population density.
 

Resources

• ​Rural Justice Initiative fact sheet

• ​Kansas attorney data profile

• Administrative Order 2022-CM-081

• New committee to examine unmet legal needs in rural Kansas (news release)

• Kansas Rural Justice Initiative Committee to visit Great Bend August 24–25 (news release)

Roster

• Justice K.J. Wall, Kansas Supreme Court, chair

• Judge Kim R. Schroeder, Kansas Court of Appeals

• Chief Judge Daniel Creitz, 31st Judicial District

• Chief Judge Kevin Berens, 15th Judicial District

• District Judge Tom Drees, 23rd Judicial District

• District Judge Richard Marquez, 25th Judicial District

• District Magistrate Judge Regine Thompson, 12th Judicial District

• Senator Elaine Bowers, District 36

• Representative Tory Marie Blew, District 112

• Stephen Angermayer, attorney, Pittsburg

• Paige Bangerter, attorney, Dodge City

• Chief Judge Lori Bolton-Fleming, 11th Judicial District

• Stacey Blakeman, assistant dean of career services, University of Kansas, Lawrence

• Ashley D. Comeau, attorney, Plainville

• Alan Cobb, Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Topeka

• Aaron Cunningham, attorney, Hays

• Timothy Demel, attorney, Beloit

• Shirley Fessler, director of outreach and accessibility, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Topeka

• Wendee Grady, assistant general counsel and director of legal foundation, Kansas Farm Bureau, Manhattan

• Marilyn Harp, retired executive director, Kansas Legal Services, Topeka

• Joslyn Kusiak, attorney, Independence

• Shawn Leisinger, associate dean for centers and external programs, externship director, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka

• Angela Meyer, attorney, Pittsburg

• Joshua Ney, Jefferson County Attorney, Oskaloosa

• Charles Peckham, attorney, Atwood

• Trisha Purdon, Office of Rural Prosperity, Kansas Department of Commerce, Coffeyville

• Brad Ralph, attorney, Dodge City

• David J. Rebein, attorney, Dodge City

• Wendy Rohleder-Sook, assistant professor of political science and director of pre-law and legal studies, Fort Hays State University, Hays

• Ann Sagan, director of special projects, Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services, Topeka

• Sally Shattuck, attorney, Ashland

• Brien Stockman, attorney and Dane G. Hansen Foundation Trustee, Logan

• Etta L. Walker, attorney, Sharon Springs

• Jake Worcester, Kansas 4-H Foundation, Manhattan

• Jill Zimmerman, Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program, Manhattan
   

Contact

info@kscourts.org