Rebuilding Justice Awardees: In Their Own Words Through Seven Questions

IAALS is honoring five individuals with the Rebuilding Justice Award this year, each of which represent one of IAALS’ core values in celebration of 20 years of advancing justice reform nationwide: 

• Question the Status Quo: Dave Byers, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, Arizona Supreme Court
• Let Data Guide the Way: William C. Hubbard, Dean and Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
• Center the People: Stacy Rupprecht Jane, Director, Innovation for Justice (i4J)
• Find Common Ground: Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht (Ret.), Supreme Court of Texas
• Set Our Sights on Tomorrow: Sateesh Nori, Chief Legal Futurist, LawDroid

Each awardee has unique perspectives and insights on our civil justice system and ensuring justice for all is a reality for everyone. Read ahead to learn more about them, and register now to attend the 18th Annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner on April 23. 

What drives your passion for access to justice?

Sateesh Nori: I’ve seen firsthand how life-altering legal problems are treated as administrative inconveniences for people without resources. The injustice isn’t abstract—it’s procedural, predictable, and fixable.

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: The moments where I have the privilege of working with people who have been deeply harmed by our justice system but still believe in the individual and collective ability to fix it.   

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: I want to see the promise of equal access to justice for the poor made real to all who need it. 

Dave Byers: Over the course of human history—and even today—a king, tyrant, or dictator can, on a whim, take your property, your family, or even your life. Having visited countries all over the world, I have seen firsthand the critical importance of an independent court system that can protect individual rights and hold power in check.

William C. Hubbard: The desire to see fulfilled the promise of the Constitution to “establish Justice.” Without access to justice, that promise is hollow, and the rule of law is weakened.

What is your long-term vision for the broader access to justice movement?

Sateesh Nori: A system where legal help is proactive, plain-language, and available before crisis hits—in and out of courtrooms. Technology should make justice boring, routine, and reachable.

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: I hope in my lifetime I will see the access to justice movement deeply and meaningfully include the people who are harmed by the system as leaders in reimagining access to justice. 

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: I want to see the justice chasm closed significantly through pledges of additional resources to legal aid, employment of AI and other efficiencies, refashioning docket and procedural structures to better accommodate people without counsel or with legal aid providers, and expanding providers to include community justice workers, paraprofessionals, and others. 

Dave Byers: While the current system of attorney regulation produces highly qualified JD attorneys, the reality is that most Americans simply cannot afford to hire one. My goal is to help build a legal delivery system analogous to the medical model—one that includes the legal equivalents of EMTs, technicians, nurse practitioners, and MDs. This kind of tiered system would dramatically expand access while maintaining quality and accountability.

William C. Hubbard: Reform of practice rules to allow community justice workers and similar well-trained professionals to address the essential unmet legal needs of the poor and disadvantaged. 

What trait do you admire most in others?

Sateesh Nori: Intellectual humility paired with moral courage. The ability to admit uncertainty while still acting decisively when people are being harmed.

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: Being unapologetically oneself. 

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: Humility and persuasion. 

Dave Byers: The ability to get things done.

William C. Hubbard: Honesty.

What is your favorite item on your desk and why?

Sateesh Nori: A Rubik’s Cube. So complex and so simple. Endlessly fascinating, tactile, and challenging. 

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: My puppy Mabel (who is technically and perpetually under my desk) because she’s an incredible antidote to work stress.  

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: A lion and a lamb lying beside each other, because it exemplifies the two kinds of strength necessary for my work. 

Dave Byers: A photograph of my first granddaughter at age three (now 23), holding our newborn first grandson (now 20). It’s a daily reminder of family, time, and perspective.

William C. Hubbard: Scales of justice given to me by an attorney whom I admire. I keep the scales on my desk to remind me of the jury charge of the judge for whom I clerked, who instructed the jurors, “You have no friends to reward or enemies to punish. You are to seek the truth.”  

What aspect or moment in your career are you most proud of?

Sateesh Nori: Building and teaching the Housing Rights Clinic and watching students help hundreds of real clients. It proved that institutions can train lawyers while delivering tangible justice at scale.

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: I am most proud of my i4J colleagues—they are each incredibly talented, they choose every day to use their skills to meaningfully improve access to justice, and they never lose sight of community need as their north star. 

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: I can’t really point to one, but I’m glad to have been able as Chief Justice to work over the years to help depoliticize access to justice issues. 

Dave Byers: Joining the Arizona Supreme Court.

William C. Hubbard: The creation and stewardship of the World Justice Project to strengthen the rule of law (including access to justice). I am also proud of and thankful for the opportunity to nurture law students to understand their responsibility as “public citizens” to defend the rule of law. 

What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on?

Sateesh Nori: Copenhagen and a visit to LEGO HQ in Billund, Denmark. It was a masterclass in how thoughtful design can make complex systems feel human and joyful.

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: This is an impossible question. Any trip where I am at an ocean with my loved ones is my best trip.    

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: Touring Alaska.

Dave Byers: An African safari. 

William C. Hubbard: My family traveled to Normandy as part of an extended trip to France. We traversed the cliffs, beaches, and the American Cemetery to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world from tyranny. 

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

Sateesh Nori: Long walks, unstructured reading, and time with family. Doing absolutely nothing that can be measured or optimized. 

Stacy Rupprecht Jane: I love waking up to an unscheduled day—good company, time outside, a nap, and great food usually follow.    

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht: With my wife and our pups.  

Dave Byers: Cooking dinner for a family gathering.  

William C. Hubbard: A leisurely breakfast, a long walk, cheering at a grandchild’s basketball game, and dinner with friends.