The Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a left-of-center legal-activist organization that seeks to promote policies primarily focused on altering criminal justice practices in the state, as well as expanding state-provided food benefits to adults and students in schools. The center was a party to a failed attempt to overturn vote-integrity legislation in Kansas that reached the state supreme court. ^{1 2 3}

Founding and History

The Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice was founded in 1999 by attorneys who desired to move their pro bono work from being focused on individuals to instead working on systemic change to combat what it characterizes as “historic oppression.” The organization is the Kansas state-level affiliate of the Appleseed Network that was founded in 1994 by Harvard Law School alumni. ¹

Finances

For 2023, the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice reported $857,726 in revenue, of which $832,791 stemmed from contributions and grants and $6,227 from investment income. It reported $1,005,905 in expenses, of which $827,225 was spent on employee salary and compensation. It ended the year with a deficit of $148,179 and net assets of $459,291. ⁴

Organization Philosophy

The Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice promotes left-of-center policies that are generally in favor of more government social intervention and leniency for criminals, and the abolition of laws to ensure the security of the mail-in voting system. As of February 2025, most of the group’s staff list preferred pronouns on their staff profile. ^{5 2 6}

Projects and Initiatives

Adult and Youth Justice

Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice argues that the Kansas justice system disproportionately targets Black and brown children, citing comparative racial incarceration statistics as evidence of bias. It advocates strict rules limiting the use of restraint tools, like leg shackles or handcuffs, on youth who are appearing in court. It also advocates ending the practice of suspending driver’s licenses due to unpaid fees and fines. In general, the center promotes a more lenient and “rehabilitative” justice system. ⁶

Food Access

The center promotes increased access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously known as food stamps) and that eligibility requirements should be lessened. It also advocates that the state provide all children with a universal free school meal program. As part of this justification, the center claims that one in five Kansas children are food insecure, which it applies to persons who “do not know where their next meal is coming from.” ^{2 7}

Mail Voting

The Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice was involved in a lawsuit that reached the Kansas Supreme Court that sought to have the Court declare that rules regarding vote integrity were unconstitutional under the Kansas constitution. One law made it illegal to impersonate an election official, and another required that signatures on mail in ballots be compared and match the signatures on file. The court found both laws did not violate free speech and did not place undue burdens on voters and sent the case back to lower courts for review. The third law limited the number of mail-in ballots that could be submitted on behalf of another person to ten. This law was upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court. ³

Leadership

Jami Reever is the executive director of The Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, a position she has held since October of 2019. Prior to this role, she worked in executive capacities at several other non-profit organizations. ⁸

1. “Our Roots.” Kansas Appleseed. Accessed February 8, 2025. https://www.kansasappleseed.org/advocacy-organization-in-kansas/.
2. “Food Insecurity in Kansas.” Kansas Appleseed. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.kansasappleseed.org/food-insecurity-in-kansas/.
3. Swaim, Chance, and Jenna Barackman. “Kansas Supreme Court Finds Kansans Have No ‘Fundamental Right’ to Vote. What It Means.” Wichita Eagle, May 31, 2024. Accessed February 10, 2025.  https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article288915452.html.
4. Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990) Part I, 2023.
5. “Team Members Archive.” Kansas Appleseed. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.kansasappleseed.org/our-people/.
6. “Social Justice in Kansas.” Kansas Appleseed. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.kansasappleseed.org/social-justice-in-kansas/.
7. “A Pathway to Universal Free Meals for All Kansas Children: The State of School Meals in Kansas.” Kansas Appleseed. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.kansasappleseed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kansas-Appleseed-Report-on-Universal-Free-Meals_.docx.pdf.
8. “Jami Reever.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-reever-24204525/.