Prof. Stephen R. McAllister

Stephen R. McAllister is a native Kansan who grew up in Lucas, Kansas and graduated from Lucas-Luray High School.  Growing up, he also lived in Hiawatha and Chanute, Kansas.  He received both his B.A. and his J.D. degrees from the University of Kansas.

Following his graduation from law school, Steve clerked for Judge Richard Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, and then for Justices Byron White and Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States.  After his clerkships Steve worked in the Washington, D.C. office of the Los Angeles law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

In 1993, Steve returned to his alma mater as a visiting professor of law.  In 1999 he received tenure and promotion to the rank of full Professor.  He served as Dean of the KU Law School from 2000 – 2005.

As a professor, Steve teaches constitutional law, constitutional litigation and torts.  He won the Frederick J. Moreau Award for student advising in 1997, and a W.T. Kemper Award for excellence in teaching in 1999.  As a scholar, Steve has written on a variety of constitutional topics, including affirmative action, capital punishment, federalism, and sex offender laws.  Steve is an elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Steve also has appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States several times.  From 1999 – 2003, he served as the first State Solicitor for Kansas, assisting the Kansas Attorney General’s office in state cases raising important constitutional issues.  In both 2001 and 2002, Supreme Court briefs that Steve authored for the State of Kansas won Best Brief Prizes at the annual summer meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General.

From May 2006 until March 2007, Steve served as Legislative Counsel for Kansas, advising the legislature regarding legal issues.  In that capacity, Steve participated in the Kansas school finance litigation in the Kansas Supreme Court, filing a brief on behalf of the Kansas Legislature and presenting oral argument on behalf of the State as a special assistant attorney general.  Since May 2007, Steve has served as Solicitor General of Kansas in the office of the Kansas Attorney General, briefing and arguing important cases involving abortion, the death penalty, freedom of speech, and right to a jury trial. 

Steve speaks regularly on a variety of constitutional topics, as well as judicial confirmation and the Supreme Court as an institution.

Clerk, Judge Richard Posner, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit 1988-89; Clerk, Justice Byron White, U.S. Supreme Court 1989-91; Clerk, Justice Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court 1991-1992; Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, DC, 1992-93; Visiting Associate Professor, Kansas 1993-95, Associate Professor, Kansas 1995-98, Professor since 1999; Associate Dean of Academic Affairs 1999-2000; Dean 2000-2005; Interim Director, Dole Institute of Politics 2003-04.
J.D. 1988, Kansas, Articles Editor, University of Kansas Law Review; B.A. 1985, Kansas