The Iowa Law Review is a law review published five times annually by the University of Iowa College of Law. It was established in 1915 as the Iowa Law Bulletin. It is ranked 11th among 1550 journals indexed in the W&L ranking. The journal has been student-edited since 1935.
History
The Iowa Law Review has its origins in the Iowa Law Bulletin. The original Bulletin series was published from 1891-1900 by faculty. The Bulletin was reinstated in 1915, edited by both faculty members and students. It changed its name to Iowa Law Review in 1925, indicating that the journal's focus would be on Iowa legal issues, but "occasionally an article of general scope appear." Indeed, it has published on topics of national and international law.
Projects
In 1933, the Iowa Law Review became the first law review to publish a symposium, which was entitled "Administrative Law Based upon Legal Writings 1931-1933." Since then, the journal has continued to hold symposia on issues of national importance. In 1968, the Iowa Law Review began the "Contemporary Studies Project". These projects were large-scale, usually empirically-based, and often lasted for more than one year. Some of the projects have received national recognition and/or have affected legislation and judicial reforms in Iowa and around the country. An examples is Facts and Fallacies About Iowa Civil Commitment. Two studies have been widely cited and relied upon in lawreview articles and by courts throughout the US.
Recognition
The Iowa Law Review has been widely cited for its legal research, theory, and analysis. Recent notable citations include the Iowa Supreme Court's citation of an Iowa Law Review student note in its April 2009 decision of Varnum v. Brien, which struck down the state's ban on gay marriage. Also, in its January 2010 decision of Citizens United v. FEC, the United States Supreme Court cited Randall P. Bezanson, Institutional Speech, 80 Iowa Law Review 735, 775. Shortly thereafter the United StatesSupreme Court cited Jenny Roberts, Ignorance Is Effectively Bliss: Collateral Consequences, Silence, and Misinformation in the Guilty-Plea Process, 95 Iowa Law Review 119, 124 n.15, in its March 2010 decision of Padilla v. Kentucky.
