The John Jay Undergraduate Law Review (JJULR) welcomes submissions from all members of the John Jay undergraduate community. As an interdisciplinary publication, we are committed to showcasing original, high-quality scholarship and commentary on any topic related to law, legal systems, or the intersections of law with other fields such as political science, international relations, economics, philosophy, history, public policy, and criminal justice.

We publish work in two complementary formats:

The Journal — long-form, scholarly articles with rigorous legal or interdisciplinary analysis.

The Forum — shorter, timely essays and commentaries on current legal and policy developments, written in a more accessible style for a broad audience.

I. Eligibility and General Notes

• Who can submit: We accept submissions from currently enrolled undergraduates from accredited colleges/universities. Recent graduates may submit if their piece was written during their undergraduate studies.
• Relevance: Submissions must relate in some way to law, legal systems, or legal reasoning. Work from other disciplines is welcome if it meaningfully engages with law or legal institutions.
• Originality: We do not accept work that has been previously published elsewhere, including blogs, student newspapers, or other journals.
• Quality & Tone: Submissions must be polished and professional. We welcome both scholarly and policy-oriented pieces, but all work should:
  • Present a clear, original argument, not just summary or opinion.
  • Be grounded in evidence (e.g., case law, statutes, data, policy reports, empirical data, or peer-reviewed scholarship).
  • Engage seriously with counterarguments and existing literature.
  • Maintain a respectful, analytical tone (avoid purely polemical or partisan rhetoric).
• Multiple submissions: Authors may submit more than one piece, but each submission must be sent separately.
• AI Policy: The John Jay Undergraduate Law Review strictly prohibits the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence (AI), both in writing and editing of selected works. If unauthorized usage of AI is detected, it will be treated as plagiarism and the submission will be subject to disqualification.

I. Journal Submissions

• Content: The Journal publishes long-form scholarly legal and interdisciplinary analysis. Articles should typically:
  • Examine statutes, case law, or constitutional provisions in depth.
  • Identify doctrinal tensions, gaps in the literature, or unresolved legal questions.
  • Offer a sustained argument about how the law is or how it should develop.
  • Draw on authoritative sources such as case law, statutes, legislative history, and academic scholarship.
• Format:
  • Length: 5,000–7,500 words (excluding citations and bibliography).
  • File Type: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). We cannot accept PDFs.
  • Title & Abstract: Include a separate title page with the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and a 200-word abstract (see Editorial Guidelines for more information). Additionally, label that document using the following structure: “Last Name, First Name_Title_Journal.” The label of your actual manuscript should simply be the title of your piece.
  • Citation: The Journal uses The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed.) as its official citation style. For accessibility purposes, if contributors are unfamiliar with the Bluebook, they may instead submit using The Chicago Manual of Style (Notes & Bibliography format). Authors may provide a brief Chicago-style bibliography at the end of the piece, but it is not required. Our editorial team will assist in converting accepted pieces to Bluebook format prior to publication..
  • Style: Use a standard 12-point serif font (e.g., Times New Roman), double-space the main text, use 10-point, single-spaced footnotes, and use 1-inch margins..

II. Forum Submissions

• Content: The Forum publishes shorter, timely essays on legal and policy issues, including recent court decisions, legislative debates, and broader questions of governance. Forum pieces are more conversational and accessible than Journal articles but must still be evidence-based and analytically rigorous.
• Format:
  • Length: 2,000 and 5,000 words (excluding citations).
  • File Type: Submissions must be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.
  • Title & Abstract: Include a separate title page with the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and a 50-100 word abstract outlining the central purpose/argument of the piece (see Editorial Guidelines for more information). Additionally, label that document using the following structure: “Last Name, First Name_Title_Forum.” The label of your actual manuscript should simply be the title of your piece.
  • Citation: The Forum uses The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed.) as its official style. Because pieces are published online, use numbered endnotes rather than footnotes, with bracketed numbers in the text (e.g., [1], [2]) and a corresponding endnotes section at the end of the article, listing sources in order of appearance. Contributors unfamiliar with the Bluebook may submit using a modified Chicago Notes & Bibliography format with the same endnote structure. The editorial team will adapt accepted pieces to Bluebook. A separate bibliography is optional, and authors are encouraged to include hyperlinks for accessibility.
  • Font and Spacing: Use a standard 12-point serif font (e.g., Times New Roman), double-space the main text, use 10-point, single-spaced footnotes, and use 1-inch margins.

III. Submission Process

• All submissions must be made through our online submission portal. We do not accept submissions via email.
• We review submissions on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of submissions, we cannot provide individual feedback on declined pieces.
• The review process will typically take up to 2 weeks for Journal submissions and 1 week for Forum submissions. We appreciate your patience and will notify you of our decision as soon as possible.

What to Sumit

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