Volume
135
number
1
October 2025

Tribute


Tributes to Justice Souter

Jesse M. Furman, Heather K. Gerken & Jeannie Suk Gersen

In this series of Tributes to Justice David H. Souter, three of his law clerks—Judge Jesse M. Furman, President Heather K. Gerken, and Professor Jeannie Suk Gersen—reflect upon and honor their former boss's humility, wit, and legacy.

31 Oct 2025

Article


The Forgotten Face of “Our Federalism”

Fred O. Smith, Jr. & Peter O'Neill

Younger v. Harris is canonical in the field of federal courts, but its origins remain largely unknown. Examining diverse sources, this Article reconstructs that story. In doing so, this Article democratizes our constitutional memory, recovering the erased history of Black political resistance and state oppression underlying Younger v. Harris.

31 Oct 2025

Federal CourtsCivil-Rights LawLegal History

Article


Government Research

Dan Traficonte

Previous scholarship has analyzed a host of innovation institutions—including patents, prizes, and grants—but has overlooked government-conducted R&D. This Article offers the first comprehensive analysis of government research, examining its institutional design, comparative advantages, and normative justifications, and situating it as an indispensable paradigm within the national innovation system.

31 Oct 2025

Intellectual PropertyLaw and Political Economy

Feature


Post-Profit Antitrust

Daniel Francis

Antitrust analysis generally assumes that firms seek profit, but that assumption does not always hold. This Feature offers an antitrust framework for analyzing non-profit-maximizing conduct—like values-driven boycotts or faith-based mergers. It shows that antitrust can protect against harmful practices and transactions, however they are motivated.

31 Oct 2025

Antitrust Law

Note


Reconstruction State Constitutional Conventions and the Rebirth of American Schooling

Griffin Black

In the state constitutional conventions of the Reconstruction South, biracial coalitions of delegates constitutionalized universal public-school systems and kept their constitutions free from mandatory segregated schooling. These oft-overlooked constitutional actors illuminate the true legal relationship between our nation’s history and the current educational landscape.

31 Oct 2025

Education LawConstitutional LawLegal History

Comment


Deference Spillover: The End of Witherspoon in Capital Appeals

Kevin Z. Yang

Witherspoon v. Illinois bars the state from disqualifying jurors solely for opposing the death penalty. That holding remains good law. But practice, Witherspoon is a mirage in capital appeals. This Comment explains why—tracing Witherspoon’s demise to the “spillover” of a deferential habeas standard of review into direct appeals.

31 Oct 2025

Criminal ProcedureCapital PunishmentHabeas Corpus

View current issue

Forum


Essay

This Essay argues that when Justice Department officials order subordinate lawyers to consider inappropriate partisan goals in making charging decisions, prosecutors must prioritize their fiduciary obligation to seek justice on behalf of the public. It further elaborates how courts and Congress can support them in this choice. 
20 Oct 2025

Essay

This Essay examines the rise of originalism and textualism within the Supreme Court’s intellectual-property jurisprudence. Due to its intense dynamism, intellectual-property law exposes the failures of these methods, which detach law from social reality and human goals, and highlights the need for an alternative jurisprudence of purpose.
17 Oct 2025

Collections


Collection

This Collection analyzes legal, social, and political dimensions of drug decriminalization in the context of current debates. The Essays explore issues related to state drug-policy reform, federal cannabis rescheduling, the separation of drug scheduling powers, and family separation in cases of parental drug use.
28 Mar 2025

Collection

This Collection examines the relationship between procedure and fairness. The Essays analyze rural criminal defense challenges, administrative rulemaking responsibilities, and the role of technology in improving access to justice. Together, they illuminate how procedural reform and technological integration might enhance fairness and responsiveness across diverse legal contexts.
14 Mar 2025

Collection

This Collection features the winners of the annual Yale Law Journal Student Essay Competition. This year’s topic was “Emerging Issues in Criminal Law.” The three winning Essays explore a range of timely criminal-law matters, including honest services fraud, racial discrimination in jury selection, and habeas corpus.
27 Feb 2025

Print Archive


Feature

Post-Profit Antitrust

Daniel Francis

31 Oct 2025

Article

Government Research

Dan Traficonte

31 Oct 2025

News


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