About Dickinson Law Review

Founded in 1897 as The Forum, the Dickinson Law Review is the fifth-oldest legal journal in the nation and the flagship publication of Penn State Dickinson Law.

The Dickinson Law Review is a student-run journal that serves the legal community by publishing articles and commentary on timely legal topics. Each year, our three print issues contain articles by professors, judges, and practitioners, reviews of important recent books from recognized experts, and student-authored comments.

The Dickinson Law Review is steeped in tradition. One of its traditions is innovation. The journal is credited with being the first law review in the nation to have a woman editor, Julia Radle, an 1899 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law.

Editors select, edit, and publish articles and comments at the forefront of legal scholarship. Each editor is trained to evaluate submissions critically and comprehensively. Through a team-editing process, editors address each piece’s analysis, writing style, research, organization, and accuracy and work closely with authors to improve their work.

Each year, the Dickinson Law Review symposium brings stakeholders in the legal community, including practitioners, academics, jurists, and law students, together for scholarly dialogue about forthcoming and recently published articles.

The Dickinson Law Review  also affords its editors two valuable educational experiences. First, it assists each member in preparing an original work of scholarship suitable for professional publication. Second, it provides training in the performance of all the editorial and administrative tasks associated with publishing a professional legal journal.

Since the Dickinson Law Review’s founding, more than 126 editorial boards have continued the journal’s original mission of disseminating legal scholarship to the world.

For more information, visit our website or contact DickinsonLRev@psu.edu.

Dickinson Law Review Submissions

Currently, the Dickinson Law Review accepts article and book review submissions. Please note that the journal does not accept submissions from current law students.

MANUSCRIPT SPECIFICATIONS

Articles

The Dickinson Law Review invites authors to submit articles that are preferably between 15,000 and 30,000 words, including footnotes. Electronic submissions via Scholastica are preferred, though submissions may also be emailed to DickinsonLRev@psu.edu.

All article submissions should abide by the following submission guidelines:

  1. Documents should be in Microsoft Word format;
  2. Articles should be double-spaced and use footnotes, not endnotes;
  3. All citations should conform to the latest edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation; and
  4. Submissions should contain a brief abstract and the author’s CV as well as the author’s ORCID iD number, if applicable.

Book Reviews

The Dickinson Law Review invites authors to submit book reviews that are preferably between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including footnotes. Electronic submissions via Scholastica are preferred, though submissions may also be emailed to DickinsonLRev@psu.edu.

All book review submissions should abide by the following submission guidelines:

  1. Documents should be in Microsoft Word format;
  2. Articles should be double-spaced and use footnotes, not endnotes;
  3. All citations should conform to the latest edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation; and
  4. Submissions should contain a brief abstract and the author’s CV as well as the author’s ORCID iD number, if applicable.

Expedited Review

To request an expedited review, please do so via Scholastica or email to DickinsonLRev@psu.edu. Expedited requests should include the title of the manuscript, the date by which a decision must be made, and the name of the competing journal.

Withdrawing a Submission

If you decide to withdraw a submission, please do so as soon as possible via Scholastica or email to DickinsonLRev@psu.edu.

For more information, visit our website or contact DickinsonLRev@psu.edu.

Vol. 129 — Symposium — Call for Papers

 

Print Version

 

The landscape of the Second Amendment has radically shifted post-New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. Every day, courts are holding that various long-standing firearms restrictions are unconstitutional. Yet, while the judicial system generally attempts to follow Bruen, state legislatures rapidly enact new restrictions that seem to conflict with Bruen. The battle over the Second Amendment has only gotten more intense since Bruen. While some courts have strictly applied Bruen, many would argue that in its most recent Second Amendment case, United States v. Rahimi, the Supreme Court itself failed to strictly apply Bruen by relying on analogical reasoning instead of “distinctively similar” historical regulations to address a “persistent societal problem.” Justice Thomas, who authored Bruen, pointed out this error, and his dismay was apparent in his Rahimi dissent. Still, others argue that Rahimi was not entirely in conflict with Bruen, and interpreted that the Court held that people can only be temporarily disarmed. 

The Dickinson Law Review seeks to clarify these murky waters in Volume 129’s Symposium issue. To do so, we seek authors who are well-versed in the subject matter and wish to offer their perspectives on the future of the Second Amendment in a post-Bruen world.  

We seek to solicit papers delineating the meets and bounds of the Second Amendment post-Bruen. In that vein, we aim to solicit papers that clarify: 

  • What are “arms” under the Second Amendment?
  • What is the purpose of the Second Amendment?
  • Who are “the people” under the Second Amendment?
  • What are “infringements” on the Second Amendment?
  • What gun control measures can be enacted without running afoul of the Second Amendment?
  • How does the Second Amendment interact with rights?
  • What impact does the Second Amendment have on different groups based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sex, or sexual identity?
  • What remedies are available to victims of gun violence without violating the Second Amendment protections?
  • What remedies would discourage state and local governments from continuing to pass laws designed to contravene the Court’s Second Amendment Jurisprudence?

The Symposium is scheduled for April 4, 2025, at Penn State Dickinson Law’s Carlisle location. There is no conference fee, and Penn State Dickinson Law will provide speakers with some funding for travel and accommodations. We are seeking both authors and speakers to present at our symposium.  

To apply, please submit a proposal to DLRSymposium@psu.edu by 11:59 p.m. on October 23, 2024. We seek both essays (12,000 to 15,000 words including footnotes) and articles (15,000 to 30,000 words including footnotes). In your proposal, please include your name, title, a short summary of your proposed topic, and a brief statement of your background and/or reason for interest in participating in our symposium. Additionally, please indicate if you intend to write an essay or article, if known, and if you would be willing to travel to our symposium to participate in person. 

Please address any questions to our Executive Symposium Editor, James V. Scaglione at DLRSymposium@psu.edu. Any questions that would be more appropriately answered by the faculty or administration should be addressed to our Faculty Symposium Advisor, Associate Dean Shaakirrah R. Sanders at srs6178@psu.edu. 

The Write-On Competition

JOINING THE DLR

The Dickinson Law Review seeks students from diverse backgrounds and experiences who are dedicated, collaborative, and exhibit strong analytical skills. All students seeking membership are required to participate in the Write-On Competition.

WRITE-ON COMPETITION

The Write-On Competition typically occurs after final exams in May. The Competition is graded anonymously. All editors are selected based solely on their combined writing and Bluebooking scores. To be eligible for membership, candidates must possess a cumulative GPA of 2.66 or higher by the conclusion of their first year.

The Write-On has three components:

  1. Bench Memo: A closed-universe writing assignment designed to test students’ writing, legal argument, and analytical skills. It is similar to a first-year legal writing course assignment.
  2. Bluebook Quiz: A quiz designed to test students’ ability to conform citations to proper Bluebook format.
  3. FERPA Release: A form that allows the Write-On Grading Committee to review student submissions and verify their eligibility. Graders do not have access to students’ GPAs or class rankings.

To learn about life on the journal, visit our website.