Stephan Kinsella
(Norman) Stephan Kinsella is a retired patent attorney in Houston and prominent and influential libertarian theorist, writer, lecturer, and speaker. He is from Prairieville, Louisiana. He has been a member of the LP since 2018 and a Libertarian voter since 1988.
| Stephan Kinsella | |
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| Member Judicial Committee | |
| May 29, 2022—Present | |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth: | October 1, 1965 Donaldsonville, Louisiana |
| Education: | LL.M., JD, MSEE, BSEE |
| Occupation: | Patent attorney (retired) |
| Residence: | Houston, Texas |
| Party: | Libertarian |
| Media | |
| Website: | https://www.stephankinsella.com |
| Facebook: | |
| Twitter: | |
Kinsella is a member of the 2022-2026 Judicial Committee (term: May 29, 2022–May 31, 2026), serving as chair from Jan. 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023. He was an alternate seated with the delegation of the Libertarian Party of Texas at the 2022 National Convention.
He ran for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2002 as a Libertarian and attempted to run in 2024 (disqualified). He is running for the Judicial Committee (2026-2030 term) at the National Convention 2026 (see LPMerit).
His libertarian publications include The Universal Principles of Liberty (2025), Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), Rothbard at 100: A Tribute and Assessment (co-editor, with Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Papinian Press and The Saif House, 2026), Douglas E. French, When Movements Become Rackets and Other Swindles: The PFS Trilogy, Stephan Kinsella, ed. (Houston, Texas: Papinian Press, 2025), A Life in Liberty: Liber Amicorum in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (co-editor; Papinian Press, 2024), and Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (co-editor; Mises Institute, 2009). His legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide, 2d ed. (Oxford University Press, 2020) and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011).
Kinsella was the founder and executive editor of the scholarly journal Libertarian Papers (2009–2018); is Editor of Property and Freedom Journal (2026–present); and was Book Review Editor of the Journal of Libertarian Studies (Mises Institute, 2000–2004). He is a founding member of Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Property and Freedom Society (2006–present) and Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom (2010–present).
Kinsella was previously General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a partner with Duane Morris LLP, and adjunct law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. A registered patent attorney and previously licensed to practice in Texas (1992), Louisiana (1993) and Pennsylvania (1994), he received an LL.M. (international business law) from King’s College London (1992), a JD from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU (1990), and BSEE and MSEE degrees from LSU (1987 and 1990).