Submitted
Salina native and former Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court, Lawton Nuss, has been selected to serve on the board of directors of All Rise, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing treatment courts and other justice innovations for individuals impacted by substance use and mental health disorders.
Since 1994, All Rise has championed evidence-based justice responses that improve public safety while addressing public health. All Rise provides training and technical assistance to over 4,000 treatment courts in the United States, including over 1,000 veterans treatment courts. Treatment courts are now considered the most successful justice intervention for leading individuals with substance use and mental health disorders to lives of health, stability, and recovery.
“All Rise is honored to welcome Chief Justice Nuss to the board of directors,” said All Rise Chief Executive Officer Carson Fox. “His legal acumen and passion for ensuring veterans receive the benefits and treatment they have earned will be critical as we expand support for justice-involved veterans.”
Chief Justice Nuss brings over three decades of legal experience and leadership to All Rise. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Chief Justice Nuss graduated from the University of Kansas Law School in 1982. He joined the Kansas Supreme Court in 2002 and served as Chief Justice from 2010 until his retirement in 2019.
During his tenure, Chief Justice Nuss helped launch the state’s first veterans treatment courts, programs specifically for veterans whose involvement in the justice system is linked to substance use and/or mental health disorders.
“It has been my honor to serve the people of Kansas and to help strengthen our response to veterans in need,” said Chief Justice Nuss. “I look forward to continuing this work on the national stage with All Rise as we continue the important mission of ensuring no veteran is left behind.”
Chief Justice Nuss will serve a six-year term on the board of directors. His tenure began on May 23, 2024, when he was elected during RISE24, the annual conference convened by All Rise, now considered the largest conference in the nation on the intersection of addiction, mental health, and justice reform.
About All Rise
All Rise is the leading training, membership, and advocacy organization for advancing justice system responses to individuals with substance use and mental health disorders.
All Rise impacts every stage of the justice system, from first contact with law enforcement to corrections and reentry and works with public health leaders to improve treatment outcomes for justice-involved individuals.
Through its four divisions—the Treatment Court Institute, Impaired Driving Solutions, Justice for Vets, and the Center for Advancing Justice—All Rise provides training and technical assistance at the local and national level, advocates for federal and state funding, and collaborates with public and private entities. All Rise works in every U.S. state and territory and in countries throughout the world.
All Rise has been at the forefront of justice system transformation for nearly three decades. As the leader of the treatment court movement, All Rise helps prove that a combination of evidence-based treatment and accountability is the most effective justice system response to individuals with substance use and mental health disorders.
All Rise has trained over 800,000 public health and public safety professionals, and the number of treatment courts in the United States has grown to more than 4,000, connecting more than 150,000 people to treatment each year.