Two UW Law Students Selected for Harvard Journal of Law, Policys Symposium Issue Editorial Board

Two University of Wyoming College of Law students were selected to the editorial board of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy’s (HJLPP) 39th annual Federalist Society National Student Symposium Issue.

Third-year law student Nathan Cowper, from Laramie, and second-year student Elizabeth Stephani, of Centennial, Colo., are the first UW law students selected for the prestigious position.

The HJLPP is among 17 student-produced scholarly journals at Harvard Law School, and is published three times annually by the Harvard Society for Law and Public Policy Inc., an organization of Harvard Law School students. The journal is among the top five most widely circulated law reviews.

The symposium edition will be available in the HJLPP’s Volume 44 this fall.

Students are selected based on their editing abilities, attention to detail and demonstrated commitment to the journal. A notable alumnus of the HJLPP is U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who is scheduled to visit UW later this fall.

Cowper and Stephani both served as research assistants for UW College of Law Professor George Mocsary during their first year of law school. He encouraged them to apply to the editorial board.

“Nathan and Lizzie will be excellent additions to the HJLPP’s editorial board,” Mocsary says. “Their demonstrated initiative and abilities, honed by their College of Law experiences, will ensure that they excel in their roles.”

A leading periodical for conservative and libertarian legal scholarship, the HJLPP often explores issues and hotly debated topics related to the Constitution. The 2020 National Student Symposium took place in March online and examined the structural Constitution in the 21st century. The upcoming symposium edition of the law review will feature panel transcripts and articles surrounding the theme of the event.

Cowper grew up in Laramie where he was inspired to earn a law degree by two aunts, both UW College of Law alumnae. He earned an English degree (2017) from UW and worked as a research assistant for the late UW law Professor John Burman, who inspired Cowper to pursue a law career.

Following law school, Cowper plans to work as an advocate of individual liberties, especially those protected by the Second Amendment. He has served as an extern with the Laramie City Attorney’s Office, and is currently working for the Firearms Policy Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization advocating for individual liberty and important constitutional rights.

“I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to work as an editor for the HJLPP’s Federalist Society Symposium Edition,” Cowper says. “I believe strongly in the goals of the society, namely, the promotion of individual liberty, traditional values and the rule of law. I am humbled by this incredible opportunity.”

With an interest in sustainability, public land management and a passion for private property rights, Stephani earned her bachelor’s degree (2018) in government, with a minor in environmental science and policy, from Smith College.

Before starting law school, she spent four months in South Africa working on a waste management project. She also gained experience as a fellow at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and as a project manager for the nonprofit AeroAngel. Stephani is working as an extern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver, Colo., this summer.