Senator Jolie Justus (District 10)
Dedicated to issues of social and economic justice, Jolie has worked in the 10th District for the last decade to help some of Kansas City’s most vulnerable populations.
Social Justice Jolie is a tireless worker for area children, women and some of Kansas City’s poorest and most underserved communities. Jolie is a volunteer for St. Vincent’s/Operation Breakthrough, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Volunteer Attorney Project of Legal Aid of Western Missouri. She provides free legal workshops and clinics to clients of the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, the Good Samaritan Project, Micah Ministries and Veronica’s Voice. She is also a past member of the steering committee for AIDSWalk Kansas City.
Jolie has demonstrated a sustained commitment to individual civil rights and civil liberties through her volunteer service for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, the legal panel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri and as board member for PROMO, Missouri’s statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender political, legislative and advocacy organization. In 2004, Jolie served as the head of the legal command center for the Election Protection Project. Sponsored by the American Bar Association and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Election Protection Project is a non-partisan effort to ensure that all people have the right to vote and to have their votes counted. As head of the local command center, Jolie was responsible for training hundreds of volunteer lawyers and laypeople to act as poll monitors and to staff a statewide call center established to handle calls from anyone turned away from the voting booth. Through this project, Jolie worked with local lawyers, labor leaders, civil rights leaders, disability advocates and educators to field thousands of requests for assistance.
Economic Justice Jolie has a strong commitment to projects dedicated to creating and maintaining diverse, sustainable, affordable, safe housing, businesses and neighborhoods in the urban core of Kansas City. She is a former board member of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association and an active advocate for SAVE Inc., an organization dedicated to providing housing for people and families living with HIV and AIDS. Through education, legislation and empowerment, Jolie is committed to ensuring that all citizens of Kansas City have access to basic needs such as healthcare, daycare, transportation, and education and job opportunities.
Jolie is committed to growing business opportunities in Kansas City and Missouri. Specifically, Jolie encourages the creation of an environment that supports life sciences and stem cell research. She is dedicated to improving our education system from kindergarten through college and beyond. Jolie will work closely with students, parents, teachers and administrators to get real results.
Jolie Justus. Jolie was born February 24, 1971 in Kansas City, Missouri, and is a lifelong resident of Missouri. Daughter of the Honorable Jim Justus and Jennifer Justus, Jolie was raised in Branson, Missouri and graduated from Branson High School in 1989. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia from 1989-1992 and graduated in 1994 from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. Jolie attended law school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she graduated, with distinction, in 1998. During law school Jolie served as Managing Editor of the UMKC Law Review, was a member of the Bench and Robe Honor Society and received the Charles E. Whittaker Award for Academic Excellence. Jolie is licensed to practice law in the state of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.
Jolie is the Director of Pro Bono Services for Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP, a full-time position created to handle the day-to-day administration of the firm’s nationwide free legal services program. Under Jolie’s direction, SHB has been recognized as one of the top 100 pro bono programs in the nation by American Lawyer Magazine; the firm bills approximately 30,000 pro bono hours per year. She is vice-chair of her law firm’s Pro Bono Committee, charter member of SHB's award-winning Diversity Committee, and a long-time member of the firm's Professional Development Committee.
Jolie is an active member of many local bar associations. She is a 2002 graduate of The Missouri Bar Leadership Academy, and has twice been elected to represent Kansas City on the Young Lawyers’ Section Council of The Missouri Bar. She has served on several Missouri Bar committees, including as vice-chair of the Delivery of Legal Services Committee; the Corporate Pro Bono Committee; the Committee on Minority Issues; and the Gender and Justice Committee. Jolie was selected as the 2006 LEAP Mardi Gras Queen by the LEAP (Lawyers Encouraging Academic Performance) Foundation. LEAP is a collaborative effort of seven Kansas City area bar associations. Its annual Mardi Gras luncheon raises money for Operation Breakthrough, a daycare and after school care provider for low income families in the Kansas City metro. Jolie has served two terms on the board of the Association of Women Lawyers – Kansas City, and is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.
Jolie and her partner, Lana Knedlik, live in South Hyde Park. Jolie is the proud co-parent of Angel, a 14-year-old freshman at Kansas City’s Hogan Prep Academy.
For a map of the 10th Senatorial District, click here
