2025 Kansas Law Review Symposium
2025 Kansas Law Review Symposium
State Constitutions in Times of Federal Uncertainty
Friday, October 17, 2025
9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Check-in and breakfast from 8:30-9 a.m.)
104 Green Hall
State constitutions are a powerful source of individual rights and are becoming increasingly important in American jurisprudence. The Kansas Law Review’s 2025 Symposium will bring together leading academics and practitioners to explore the role of state constitutional litigation in advancing civil rights and liberties. The symposium will begin with an overview of historical and contemporary state constitutional litigation. Moderated panel discussions will follow. Topics include voting rights and electoral democracy; equality and privacy in state constitutions; and state court procedure, municipal governments and trans-substantive issues in state constitutional litigation. The symposium will also feature a keynote plenary session of current and former state Solicitors General who will discuss their roles in state constitutional litigation.
No CLE credit will be offered during the Symposium.
Scholarship associated with the Symposium will be published in a spring 2026 edition of the Kansas Law Review.
Speakers
- Alicia Bannon | Brennan Center for Justice | Director of the Judiciary Program; Editor-in-Chief, State Court Report
- Joshua Bendor | Solicitor General of Arizona
- Greer Donley | University of Pittsburgh School of Law | Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development; Associate Professor of Law
- Tabatha Abu El-Haj | Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law | Professor of Law
- Marcus Gadson | University of North Carolina School of Law | Associate Professor of Law
- R. Stanton Jones | Arnold & Porter | Partner
- Quinton Lucas | Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
- Steve McAllister | University of Kansas School of Law | E.S. & Tom W. Hampton Distinguished Professor of Law
- Julie Murray | American Civil Liberties Union | Co-Director of the State Supreme Court Initiative
- Ryan Park | Former Solicitor General of North Carolina
- Adam Sopko | University of Colorado Law School | Associate Professor of Law
- Jeffrey S. Sutton | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | Chief Judge; Former Solicitor General of Ohio
- Constance Van Kley | University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law | Assistant Professor of Law
- Bob Williams | Rutgers University | Professor Emeritus
- Quinn Yeargain | Michigan State University College of Law | Associate Professor of Law
Schedule
| TIME | SPEAKER |
| 8:30-9:00 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast |
| 9-9:20 a.m. | Welcome and Introduction Stephen Mazza, Dean, University of Kansas School of Law Michael Moore, Symposium Editor, Kansas Law Review Peyton Emler, Editor-in-Chief, Kansas Law Review |
| 9:20-9:40 a.m. | Opening Remarks: State Constitutional Law Then and Now Bob Williams, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University |
| 9:40-11:10 a.m. | Panel 1: Voting Rights and Electoral Democracy R. Stanton Jones, Partner, Arnold & Porter Tabatha Abu El-Haj, Professor of Law, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law Constance Van Kley, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law Alicia Bannon, Director of the Judiciary Program, Brennan Center for Justice and Editor-in-Chief of the State Court Report Moderated by Rick Levy, J.B. Smith Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Kansas Law School |
| 11:10-11:20 a.m. | Break |
| 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m. | Plenary Session: The Role of State Solicitors General in State Constitutional Litigation Steve McAllister, E.S. & Tom W. Hampton Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law Ryan Park, Former Solicitor General of North Carolina Joshua Bendor, Solicitor General of Arizona [virtual] Jeffrey S. Sutton, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Former Solicitor General of Ohio [virtual] |
| 12:20-1 p.m. | Lunch (on your own) |
| 1-2:30 p.m. | Panel 2: Equality and Privacy in State Constitutions Greer Donley, Associate Dean for Faculty Research & Development and Associate Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Quinn Yeargain, Associate Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law Julie Murray, Co-Director of the State Supreme Court Initiative, American Civil Liberties Union Moderated by Kyle Velte, Associate Dean for Faculty and Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law |
| 2:30-2:45 p.m. | Break |
| 2:45-4:15 p.m. | Panel 3: State Court Procedure, Municipal Governments, and Trans-substantive Issues in State Constitutional Litigation Adam Sopko, Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School Marcus Gadson, Associate Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law [virtual] Quinton Lucas, Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri Moderated by Michael Moore, Symposium Editor, Kansas Law Review |
| 4:15-4:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
Cost
The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Program Accessibility
If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this event, please contact Debbie Schmidt by October 3 at drschmidt@ku.edu or 785-864-5078, 771 TTY.
Symposium Issue
Scholarship associated with the symposium will be published in a spring 2026 issue of the Kansas Law Review.
Questions?
Contact Symposium Editor Michael Moore at michaelmoore@ku.edu.
Contact the Kansas Law Review
Faculty Advisors
Laura Hines
lhines@ku.edu
785-864-9265
Alex Platt
alex.platt@ku.edu
785-864-0509
