Minnesota Law Review

Minnesota Law Review
Title	Minnesota Law Review
Discipline	Law
Language	English
Publisher	University of Minnesota Law School
Country	United States
Frequency	Bimonthly
Established	1916
Issn	0026-5533

Contents

Minnesota Law Review is a student-edited legal journal published by students at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1916, it is one of the oldest and most-cited law reviews in the United States, publishing articles, essays, and student notes that address issues across federal and state jurisprudence. The Review has influenced debates involving the United States Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, and academic discourse at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School.

History

The Review was established in the context of early 20th-century expansion of legal scholarship alongside journals like Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and Columbia Law Review. Its formation coincided with the tenure of deans and faculty at the University of Minnesota Law School who included scholars connected to the American Bar Association, the National Association of Legal Scholars, and regional legal reform movements. Over decades, the Review published influential analyses during landmark eras such as the New Deal and the Civil Rights Movement, contributing to litigation strategies referenced in cases before the United States Supreme Court and commentary cited by the United States Department of Justice. The Review's archives document responses to events including the Brown v. Board of Education era, the expansion of administrative law reflected in decisions from the D.C. Circuit, and statutory developments like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Editorial control resides with an elected student board drawn from the University of Minnesota Law School student body. The structure mirrors models used by peer journals such as University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Michigan Law Review, and Stanford Law Review, featuring an Editor-in-Chief, Executive Articles Editors, and an extensive Board of Notes and Comments Editors. Selection processes typically involve a writing competition comparable to those at Duke University School of Law and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and include considerations of prior publications and faculty endorsements from scholars connected to centers like the Warren E. Burger Library and the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice. The Review collaborates with advisory boards composed of professors and practitioners from entities such as the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Federal Judicial Center, and law firms active in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Review issues multiple volumes annually, publishing articles by professors, judges, and practitioners affiliated with institutions including Harvard University, Princeton University, New York University School of Law, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution. Content spans doctrinal pieces engaging with precedent from the United States Supreme Court, empirical studies tied to courts like the Eighth Circuit, and interdisciplinary work intersecting with organizations such as the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Historical Society. Regular sections include scholarly Articles, Symposium pieces, and student Notes that frequently address litigation trends in areas governed by statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and decisions interpreting the Fourth Amendment and the Commerce Clause. The Review also produces book reviews and responses that engage with monographs published by presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

Over its history the Review has published articles by prominent figures from across institutions: federal judges from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, academics from Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, and practitioners affiliated with the United States Department of Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union, and major firms litigating before the United States Supreme Court. Several pieces have been cited in opinions authored by justices of the United States Supreme Court and by jurists in the Minnesota Supreme Court. Noteworthy contributions addressed topics including constitutional interpretation debated in the context of the New Deal era, administrative law developments reflecting decisions from the D.C. Circuit, and criminal procedure discussions linked to precedents such as Miranda v. Arizona.

Alumni of the Review include judges, scholars, and practitioners who went on to positions at the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Minnesota Supreme Court, federal agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, and academia at institutions such as Georgetown University Law Center and University of Chicago Law School. Many alumni have clerked for judges of the United States Court of Appeals and justices of the United States Supreme Court, and have held roles in administrations tied to presidencies including those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama. The network of alumni contributes to policy debates within forums such as the American Bar Association annual meeting and symposia at centers including the Brennan Center for Justice.

The Review hosts annual symposia featuring panels with scholars from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Stanford Law School and practitioners from entities like the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Homeland Security. Past special issues have focused on themes including administrative law responses to decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, civil rights developments linked to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and regulatory challenges addressed in work by the Federal Communications Commission. These events attract participants from institutions such as the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.