Kentucky Law Journal

Kentucky Law Journal is a student-edited legal periodical published by the University of Kentucky College of Law in Lexington, Kentucky. The journal covers topics in United States constitutional law, Kentucky state law, federalism, civil procedure, criminal law, property, and administrative law. It has published scholarship by judges, academics, and practitioners associated with institutions such as the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Kentucky Supreme Court, Harvard Law School, and Yale Law School.

History

The journal traces its origins to early twentieth-century legal publishing at the University of Kentucky and predecessor institutions in Lexington and Lexington, Kentucky. Throughout the twentieth century the publication intersected with developments at the American Bar Association, the Legal Services Corporation, the Civil Rights Movement, and landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, and later federal jurisprudence from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Contributors and editors have included alumni who later served on the Kentucky Supreme Court, the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and in administrations of presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barack Obama. The journal documented shifts in statutory and constitutional interpretation during the eras of the New Deal, Great Society, and Reagan Revolution.

Publication and Editorial Structure

The journal is published on a quarterly schedule overseen by a student editorial board at the University of Kentucky College of Law. Editorial leadership often includes editors who have clerked for judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and justices from the Kentucky Supreme Court. Each volume contains a mix of articles, essays, book reviews, and case notes; contributors have included faculty from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Michigan Law School, Vanderbilt University Law School, Duke University School of Law, and Stanford Law School. The journal has hosted symposia featuring speakers from institutions such as the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice (United States), and the American Civil Liberties Union. Production integrates legal citation practices derived from the The Bluebook, and the editorial process frequently collaborates with faculty advisors from the University of Kentucky.

Notable Articles and Contributions

The journal has published influential articles on subjects connected to decisions by the United States Supreme Court, analyses of statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Affordable Care Act, and commentary on rulings such as United States v. Nixon, Roe v. Wade, Citizens United v. FEC, and Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.. Contributors have included scholars from Georgetown University Law Center, New York University School of Law, University of Chicago Law School, and practitioners who later argued before the Supreme Court of the United States or served at the United States Department of Justice. The journal’s case notes have dissected judgments from the Sixth Circuit and state opinions from the Kentucky Court of Appeals, while symposia volumes have addressed topics tied to the Federalist Society, the American Constitution Society, and policy debates involving the Congress of the United States.

Impact and Influence

Scholarly work appearing in the journal has been cited by courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and state appellate courts in discussions of constitutional federalism, procedural rules, and administrative law. Alumni editors have gone on to clerk for judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, serve as prosecutors in the United States Attorney's Office, and teach at law schools such as University of Kentucky College of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School, and University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. The journal has contributed to regional legal discourse on issues involving the Kentucky General Assembly, energy regulation discussed in forums with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and public-law debates reflected in hearings before committees of the United States Senate and the United States House Committee on the Judiciary.

Awards and Recognition

Over its history the journal and its contributors have received awards and honors from organizations including the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, the Kentucky Bar Association, and the American Association of Law Libraries. Individual authors and alumni have been recognized with fellowships from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the MacArthur Foundation, and clerkship appointments with the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals.

Category:Legal journals Category:University of Kentucky