Pennsylvania Law Review

Pennsylvania Law Review
Title	Pennsylvania Law Review
Discipline	Law
Abbreviation	Pa. L. Rev.
Publisher	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1852–present

Pennsylvania Law Review is a scholarly law journal published by students at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School that covers American legal scholarship, judicial decisions, and policy analysis. Founded in the mid‑19th century, the journal has featured contributions from jurists, legislators, and academics associated with institutions such as the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the United States Congress. The review has shaped debates involving landmark decisions from courts like the Third Circuit, legislative initiatives from the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and commentary tied to universities including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford.

History

Established in 1852, the journal emerged amid contemporaneous publications such as the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and Columbia Law Review, reflecting a 19th‑century expansion of periodical legal scholarship that paralleled developments at institutions like the University of Virginia and Princeton. Early contributors included judges from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, scholars associated with the American Bar Association, and litigants whose cases reached the United States Supreme Court. The review chronicled debates surrounding Reconstruction amendments, Progressive Era reforms advocated by figures linked to theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and New Deal litigation that reached the Supreme Court during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. Over successive decades the journal responded to World War I and World War II legal questions, civil rights controversies associated with Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act debates in the United States Congress, and late 20th‑century regulatory matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.

Organization and Governance

Operated by students at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, editorial leadership rotates annually among elected editors responsible for production, articles selection, and note editing, with oversight from faculty advisers linked to the law school's dean's office and centers such as the Federal Judicial Center. Governance structures mirror those at the Harvard Law Review and Yale Law Journal, with competitive selection processes informed by moot court performance at institutions like the National Moot Court Competition and clerkship placement pipelines to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Funding and administrative support involve the University of Pennsylvania, alumni boards comprised of former editors and judges from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and partnerships with scholarly societies such as the American Law Institute.

Publications and Content

The review publishes articles, essays, notes, and book reviews addressing topics ranging from constitutional law disputes adjudicated at the Supreme Court to statutory interpretation issues arising under the Administrative Procedure Act and regulatory matters involving the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contributors have included academics from Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and University of Chicago Law School, as well as jurists from the Supreme Court, the Third Circuit, and state supreme courts. Special issues and symposia have focused on patents overseen by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, antitrust enforcement involving the Federal Trade Commission, federalism debates linked to the New Deal era, and international law subjects arising from the International Court of Justice and treaties negotiated by the United States Department of State.

Impact and Influence

Cited in judicial opinions from the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit, and state supreme courts, the journal has influenced doctrinal developments in administrative law, constitutional interpretation, and corporate governance overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. Its articles have informed scholarly discourse alongside publications in the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and Columbia Law Review, and have been referenced by commissions such as the American Law Institute and by congressional committees during legislative drafting on matters like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and antitrust reform. Alumni have taken positions at law firms like Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Sullivan & Cromwell, clerked for justices of the Supreme Court, and served in administrations from the Department of Justice to the White House counsel's office.

Notable Alumni and Editors

Editors and alumni have included judges appointed to the United States Court of Appeals and state supreme courts, academics on faculties at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford, and public officials who served in the United States Senate, the House of Representatives, and executive agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several former editors obtained clerkships with justices of the Supreme Court and faculty posts at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, and New York University. Names associated with the journal have appeared in legal histories alongside figures tied to landmark events such as Brown v. Board of Education and Marbury v. Madison through scholarship and advocacy.

Events and Symposia

The review organizes annual symposia and panels attracting participants from law schools like Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, judges from the Third Circuit and state courts, and scholars from institutes including the Brookings Institution and the Hoover Institution. Topics have ranged from constitutional challenges argued before the Supreme Court to regulatory responses by the Securities and Exchange Commission and debates over intellectual property adjudicated at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Events often feature speakers who have held positions in the United States Department of Justice, taught at Stanford Law School, or served on commissions convened by the American Law Institute.

Access and Availability

Back issues are housed in libraries at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Library, Yale University Library, and the Library of Congress, and articles are indexed in legal databases alongside content from the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review. Subscribers include law firms such as Cravath, Swaine & Moore, academic institutions, and courts including the Third Circuit and state supreme courts; many recent articles are available through academic repositories and law school archives maintained by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Category:American law journals Category:University of Pennsylvania publications