photo by: Contributed

John Peck

The Kansas Supreme Court will present a Justice Award to retired KU professor John Peck for his significant contributions to the improvement of justice in Kansas over the course of his career.

Peck has had a lasting influence on water law education and water law itself, Chief Justice Marla Luckert said in a news release.

“If you handle water law cases in Kansas, odds are you’ve sat in John Peck’s classroom, studied one of his many law journal articles, or both,” she said.

Luckert said water’s vital role in Kansas makes understanding laws that govern it essential education for attorneys.

Peck grew up in Concordia, Kansas. After graduating from the KU School of Law in 1974, he entered private practice at Everett, Seaton & Peck in Manhattan, Kansas. He joined the KU law faculty in fall 1978 and taught his final water law class 41 years later in 2019.

“It became my bread and butter,” Peck said in the release. “I’ve trained other lawyers, written articles, and helped draft legislation, all in water law.”

Peck also taught courses in contracts, family law and land transactions, three subjects he said overlap with water law.

“Water rights are closely associated with property, so there can be water issues in land sales, family disputes over land, and even divorce and family law,” he said.

His experience in the subject led to his giving talks on water law across Kansas and around the world, including in Japan, India, Turkey, Austria and Canada.

The Supreme Court presents the Justice Award to recognize individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the improvement of justice in Kansas. As a recipient, Peck will receive a plaque and a $500 stipend, and his name will be added to the permanent list of recipients displayed outside the Supreme Court courtroom in the Judicial Center.

The Supreme Court will meet at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in a special session to present the award at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka. A livestream of the special session will be available at www.youtube.com/KansasSupremeCourt/streams.