The Michigan Journal of Gender and Law is a biannual law review published by an independent student group at the University of Michigan Law School. It publishes articles and student-written notes that explore how gender issues (and related issues of race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and culture) impact law and society.
Contents
History
The journal was established in 1991 by a group of students who recognized the need for an alternative voice at the law school and in the legal community. Its goal is to provide practitioners, academics, activists, and students with a forum for expressing their views concerning gender issues in the law.
Journal Statement
The Michigan Journal of Gender & Law (MJGL) is a leading feminist legal publication. Since 1991, MJGL has sought to expand and develop legal discourse beyond traditional boundaries. The Journal creates a forum for exposing how gender issues – and intersecting issues of race, class, sexuality, nationality, religion, and culture – impact law and society. The publication’s primary goal is to offer its audience persuasive feminist solutions to intractable social and legal problems. Thus, the Journal seeks to engage the full spectrum of feminist legal action, building bridges between theory and practice.
The Journal’s ideal volume is a forum of diverse voices. As such, the Journal wishes to encourage the publication of pieces based on diverse experiences and viewpoints. In keeping with this goal, the Journal is committed to publishing the works of activists, practitioners, and academics from the legal, social, and political sciences. The Journal is also conscious of the under-representation of women of color, LGBTQIA persons, and ethnically marginalized groups in legal scholarship. MJGL enthusiastically welcomes all these voices. The Journal is dedicated to eradicating barriers to the full participation of these groups in legal scholarship and the legal community.
Publishing Philosophy
MJGL has long sought to publish written works both traditional and experimental in nature. MJGL understands that traditional legal discourse too often polices persuasive power in the interests of privilege, valuing arguments by and for privilege and discounting others. Therefore, the Journal welcomes experimental works that challenge the adequacy of traditional legal argumentation and thought. To be eligible for publication, such pieces should clearly argue how the chosen experimental approach augments traditional legal discourse.
To qualify for publication in the Journal, all prospective articles must employ a strong feminist lens and argumentation intended to persuade the lawyers, judges, and policymakers our communities deserve.
Gender
Connection to the gender lens is a key component of every article published by the Journal. Feminism is a mode of analysis and a way of knowing that gives voice and power to oppressed persons and communities while highlighting oppression based on sex and gender specifically. As such, the Journal publishes articles that centralize sex and gender issues, though additional themes are welcome when sex and gender are clearly present.
Law
Articles published in Michigan Journal of Gender & Law are widely available online at WestLaw, LexisNexis, HeinOnline, and Law Review Commons, as well as at the University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. The Journal's primary audience consists of scholars, students, lawyers, and judges looking for ideas, arguments, and authoritative support. The Journal uses its points of access to the legal community to provide feasible feminist solutions to the intractable social and legal problems faced by their audience.
MJGL seeks to publish a mix of traditional, experimental, and aspirational legal arguments. Most lawyers and judges today highly value concise, well-organized argumentation with authoritative support from black letter law and precedent. Lawyers and judges in a more equal society might value other sorts of legal arguments as much or more. Thus, while eligible submissions should aim to persuade legal decisionmakers, authors may choose to speak to the lawyers, judges, and policymakers our communities deserve, not just the legal decisionmakers they currently have.
On occasion, the Journal has published creative pieces, such as essays, first-person accounts, and poetry. MJGL continues to encourage submission of these less traditional works, as they believe they can offer powerful perspectives. However, authors should understand that the Journal’s rigorous review of submissions applies to creative works. To be eligible for publication, less traditional works should employ a strong feminist lens and offer persuasive value to the legal community.
Guidelines for Article Submissions
The Journal prefers articles between 20,000 and 35,000 words. Citations should generally conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (20th ed. 2015). English usage should generally conform to The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed. 2010). The editors also request that you provide a curriculum vitae with your submission. A cover letter is not required.
The Journal strongly prefers to receive submissions electronically via ExpressO or Scholastica, but not both. If you are unable to submit through either of these systems, MJGL also accept submissions via email, at mjgl-submissions [at] umich [dot] edu. Please be advised that emailed submissions often receive less dedicated review.
The Journal publishes twice a year, in May and December. MJGL accepts submissions for upcoming volumes on a rolling basis until each issue has been filled. Generally, the editors review each article within a month after it is received. If you would like the Journal to expedite the review process, please request expedited review via Scholastica or ExpressO, or contact the Journal via email at mjgl-submissions [at] umich [dot] edu with the title of your piece, the journal that has accepted it, and your requested deadline.
For inquiries about article submissions, please contact mjgl-submissions [at] umich [dot] edu.
Editor Selection
The journal uses a competitive process that takes into account an applicant's writing sample, résumé, personal statement, and performance on a citation editing exercise.
Most Popular Articles
To view the articles published in the Journal that have been downloaded from the University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository the most number of time, go to http://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl/topdownloads.html.