About Us

In March of 1990, five University of Kansas law students formed the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, a new legal publication at the School of Law, to meet two goals.

The first goal was, and remains, to prompt policymakers and scholars to address policy issues left unaddressed – or inadequately addressed – in traditional legal scholarship publications. The Journal defines “public policy” as the impact of legal rules on society, and through this definition seeks to provide a forum for the discussion of public policy issues.

The second goal remains to foster a broad notion of diversity in these public policy debates. The Journal aspires to create a forum open to all those offering viewpoints on and solutions to public policy problems and issues. To this end, the Journal’s Editorial Board remains neither conservative nor liberal but instead is interested in presenting thought-provoking, informative, and interesting viewpoints.

The founding members conceived the Journal as a tool for exploring how the law shapes public policy choices and how public policy choices shape the law. As a result, the Journal seeks to attract a broad audience, reaching decision-makers at all levels: legislators who create the laws, judges who interpret the laws, educators who influence thinking about the laws, and voters who influence the entire process.

Founding Members: Rita Bigras, Louis Cohn, Scott Long, Paulette Manville and David Summers