Akron Law Review

Akron Law Review is a student-edited legal journal published by the University of Akron School of Law focusing on civil procedure, intellectual property, administrative law, constitutional law, and Akron-area jurisprudence. The Review has hosted symposia and articles by academics, judges, and practitioners drawing connections to national debates and regional development. Its contributions have been cited in state and federal decisions, referenced in treatises, and used as teaching materials at law schools.

History

The Review was founded amid mid-20th century legal periodical expansion associated with institutions such as the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and Stanford Law Review. Early editorial boards included students influenced by figures like Abe Fortas, Lewis Powell, Earl Warren, Warren E. Burger, and contemporaneous legal scholarship trends from The Federalist Society, American Bar Association, Association of American Law Schools, and the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The journal navigated the aftermath of landmark decisions including Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, Marbury v. Madison, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Roe v. Wade by publishing commentary on constitutional interpretation and federalism. Regional legal development in Akron, Ohio intersected with industrial shifts involving companies such as Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Goodrich Corporation, and municipal matters in Summit County, Ohio and Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Over decades the Review paralleled national debates shaped by events like the Watergate scandal, the Iran–Contra affair, the Obergefell v. Hodges litigation, and legislation including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Affordable Care Act, and the Sarbanes–Oxley Act.

Publication and Content

The Review issues quarterly volumes that feature symposium issues, articles, essays, case notes, and comments. It has published work touching on intellectual property disputes involving parties in cases like Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., patent doctrine discussed in contexts of Diamond v. Chakrabarty and Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, and trademark matters echoing Matal v. Tam. Administrative law pieces engage with precedents such as Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. and King v. Burwell. Constitutional law commentary references doctrines from United States v. Nixon, Citizens United v. FEC, and New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Articles on employment and labor law interact with rulings like National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation and statutes including the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Civil procedure and evidence scholarship engages with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and cases like Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly. The Review’s symposium themes have included antitrust in light of United States v. Microsoft Corp., bankruptcy topics invoking Chapter 11 reorganizations associated with corporate restructurings such as General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization, and environmental regulation debates referencing Clean Air Act litigation and Massachusetts v. EPA.

Organization and Editorial Process

Editorial leadership consists of a student-elected Editor-in-Chief, executive board, and sectional editors who select submissions through processes paralleling selection practices used at journals like The Yale Law Journal and University of Chicago Law Review. The Review uses citation standards developed in concert with manuals akin to the The Bluebook and cites authorities such as Supreme Court opinions from the Rehnquist Court and the Roberts Court. Membership selection often involves writing competitions comparable to those at Georgetown University Law Center and New York University School of Law. Faculty advisors, including professors with expertise in areas discussed by scholars from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and University of Michigan Law School, provide oversight. The editorial calendar coordinates peer symposia with institutions like Federal Judicial Center, Brookings Institution, and bar associations including the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Notable Articles and Contributors

Contributors to the Review have included academics and jurists whose broader work connects to figures and institutions such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Neil Gorsuch, and scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Chicago. The Review has featured pieces by practitioners associated with firms that have litigated before the United States Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and state supreme courts including the Ohio Supreme Court. Articles have analyzed decisions like Korematsu v. United States, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, McCulloch v. Maryland, Lochner v. New York, and later jurisprudence such as Shelby County v. Holder and United States v. Booker. Contributors have examined statutes and instruments such as the Patriot Act, Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Commerce Clause, and administrative actions by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Communications Commission.

Impact and Reception

The Review’s scholarship has been cited in state appellate opinions, federal district court decisions, and treatises used in clinics at institutions like Georgetown Law, Yale Law School Clinical Programs, and NYU School of Law. Reception among legal academics has compared the Review’s regional focus to journals produced by institutions like University of Cincinnati College of Law and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Its influence extends to continuing legal education programs run by the American Bar Association and regional bar associations in Ohio. The Review’s archives have served researchers examining legal responses to corporate matters involving Goodyear, Firestone, and antitrust inquiries related to Standard Oil lineage and regulatory histories involving U.S. Steel. Academic citations appear alongside works published in periodicals such as The Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Michigan Law Review, and Stanford Law Review.

Category:Law journals