Jensie Anderson

Jensie Anderson is a Clinical Professor at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she directs the Post-Conviction Clinic and teaches legal methods, post-conviction law, innocence law, and introduction to law. She earned her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from the University of Utah (1985) and J.D. from the same institution (1993).

Prior to joining academia, Anderson practiced as a litigation associate at Holme Roberts & Owen (1993-1994), served as staff attorney for the ACLU of Utah (1994-1997), and specialized in social security law and indigent defense at Cannon, Cleary & Match (1997-1999). She co-founded the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center in 1999, serving as President (2001-2011) and Legal Director (2011-2022).

Her clinical work focuses on litigating innocence claims and constitutional violations in the criminal justice system. She has secured exonerations for wrongfully convicted individuals including Debra Brown (2011) and Michael W. Thompson (2022), and has influenced policy reforms in Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada.

Awards include Woman Lawyer of the Year (2014), multiple teaching awards including the Peter J. Billings Excellence in Teaching Award (2015, 2019), and Outstanding Faculty Awards (2016, 2017, 2019).

Under her leadership, the Innocence Clinic evolved into the Post-Conviction Clinic, training students in wrongful conviction litigation while providing pro bono representation. She retires in 2025 after 25 years of service.