A practical home for procedural justice.

Mission

The Hub translates procedural-justice research into practical, accessible tools for judges, courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, civil lawyers, court staff, academics, and the public.

Why now

Public trust and legitimacy are central to the justice system. Procedural justice focuses on treating people with respect, neutrality, voice, and trustworthiness. Yet practitioner tools and research are scattered across many sources, and the earlier Procedural Fairness for Courts and Judges website is no longer available. The Hub is intended to help fill that gap.

Founding team

Emily LaGratta, J.D.

Emily LaGratta is a national subject-matter expert on trust-building and procedural justice. Through LaGratta Consulting, she works with local and national organizations to design and implement innovative programming and research studies, engage end users and use their feedback, and develop practitioner resources and training tools. Her recent projects include a randomized controlled trial comparing litigant experiences in remote and in-person court, a Legitimacy and Resilience Project for prosecutors, and a multi-site pilot project training judges on procedural justice while collecting real-time litigant feedback. She previously served as Director of Procedural Justice Initiatives at the Center for Justice Innovation and is a former public defender, former Skadden Arps associate, and graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Judge Kevin S. Burke

Minnesota Senior Judge Kevin S. Burke is a nationally recognized leader in judicial administration, procedural fairness, and court reform. He served on the Hennepin County District Court for 36 years, including four terms as Chief Judge, and presided over civil, criminal, family, and mental-health calendars. A pioneer of problem-solving courts, he founded Hennepin County’s drug court in 1997. He coauthored influential American Judges Association white papers on procedural fairness and judicial decision-making and has presented to judges throughout the United States and internationally.

Steve Leben

Steve Leben is the Douglas R. Stripp Missouri Distinguished Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He joined UMKC full time in 2020 after nearly three decades on the bench, including service on the Kansas Court of Appeals and as a Kansas trial judge. His teaching and scholarship focus on procedural justice, appellate practice, statutory interpretation, and judicial ethics. He served for two decades as editor of Court Review, the journal of the American Judges Association.

Future Plans for the Procedural Justice Hub

This is our interim site with just a few resources. By late 2026, we will be up and running with a searchable resource library, training hub, quarterly updates, and other features that will encourage a robust national conversation about procedural justice.