The ''George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal'' is a

law review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...

run by students at the

George Mason University School of Law The Antonin Scalia Law School (previously George Mason University School of Law) is the law school of George Mason University, a public research university in Virginia. It is located in Arlington, Virginia, roughly west of Washington, D.C., and ...

. It published one or two issues each academic year from 1990 to 2006–2007, and three issues each year since then. The journal is published by William S. Hein & Co.

History

The journal was established in 1990 in the wake of a rash of Supreme Court cases that undermined and weakened the effectiveness and purpose of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 1983). Darrell Jackson, the law journal's first

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

, prefaced the inaugural volume with the assertion, " heSupreme Court will no longer act as a major guardian of minority rights. Because minority groups must now travel the path alone, George Mason University School of Law has created the ''Civil Rights Law Journal'' to provide guidance and to serve as a forum for civil rights issues." The journal is published by a

Board of Editors Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

composed of select students at George Mason University School of Law. The journal covers

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

related topics including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, free speech, abortion rights, cruel and unusual punishment, search and seizure, voting rights, and rights of the disabled. Beginning with Volume 20, the journal gives a "Best Note" award for its student-written pieces.

Membership selection

First-year students and second-year evening students with a minimum 2.75 GPA may enter a competitive write-on to join the journal. The selection process takes into account individual's first-year grades, performance in the write-on competition, and Blue Book editing proficiency. The journal offers membership to somewhere between 15-20 percent of the first year law school class.

Symposia and legal panels

Each year, the journal organizes a symposium on a current civil rights issue. In addition, the journal hosts occasional legal panels on a topic in civil rights law.

Impact

In 2007, the journal was ranked sixth amongst student-edited civil rights law journals in the United States by Washington & Lee’s law review rankings. The

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

cited Christopher R. Green's ''The Original Sense of the (Equal) Protection Clause: Subsequent Interpretation and Application'' (19 Geo. Mason U. C.R. L.J. 219 (2009)) in former

Justice Stevens John Paul Stevens (April 20, 1920 – July 16, 2019) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1975 to 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-olde ...

' dissent in

McDonald v. City of Chicago ''McDonald v. City of Chicago'', 561 U.S. 742 (2010), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that found that the right of an individual to "keep and bear arms", as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated ...

Notable alumni

* The journal's only alumnus to clerk at the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

was William Consovoy, who was editor-in-chief of the journal. * Darrell Jackson, the journal's founding editor-in-chief, served several years as George Mason University's Dean for Diversity.Docket feature
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References

External links

* {{Official website, https://crlj.org/ American law journals George Mason University Publications established in 1990 Triannual journals English-language journals Law journals edited by students Constitutional law journals