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LAW JOURNAL REVIEW
Journal Stimulates Debate Before and After Grutter [by Mike Murphy] This past year, a Supreme Court decision about affirmative action in the admissions policies of higher education institutions put the University of Michigan Law School at the forefront of contemporary racial issues. But even before the decision, the Michigan Journal of Race & Law, an academic journal at the law school, had been manning that forefront for a while.
This past year, a Supreme Court decision
adequately recognized the voices of people of
journal, but also because it supports other
about affirmative action in the admissions
color and that was dedicated unequivocally
ways for students to learn more about race
policies of higher- education institutions put
to discussing issues of racial inequality in
and the law, through film series , and speak-
the University of Michigan Law School at
the law.
the forefront of contemporary racial issues.
ers. It seems more interdisciplinary, to some degree.”
But even before the decision, the Michigan
At a law school whose affirmative action
Journal of Race & Law, an academic journal
policy was recently upheld as constitutional
at the law school, had been manning that
by the Supreme Court in Grutter v. Bollinger,
teresting, diverse social network, as well as
forefront for a while.
539 U. S. 306 (2003), the Michigan Journal of
a forum for discussing race and the law.”
“I think it does a great job of creating an in-
Race & Law has had a lot of attention. “The “We (at the Journal) are committed to pub-
Journal receives numerous submissions
“I actually came to Michigan because of the
lishing cutting-edge scholarship on issues of
covering the topics of affirmative action and
Journal,” Whyte said. “I knew that I wanted
race and law and look for non-traditional and
Grutter,” Whyte said. Many authors want to
to work on a journal, and I also wanted to
interdisciplinary works,” said Megan Whyte,
publish their affirmative action pieces with us
focus my legal education (and eventually my
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and a Michi-
not only because we are a specialty journal
career) on issues of racial equality. The Jour-
gan. “We publish the work of legal academ-
dealing with race issues, but also because we
nal convinced me that Michigan would be the
ics, social scientists, scholars in other fields,
are the institution at issue in Grutter. Over
best place to do it, and that there would be a
students, and practitioners. We require only
the last 10 years, the Journal has earned a
community of people wanting to work on the
that the focus be on issues of race and the
reputation as a source for high-quality and
same topics.
law.”
cutting-edge scholarship on race and the
The Journal publishes two, or occasionally
law, but Grutter has likely helped to focus
“Being a part of the publication process--se-
more attention on the school as a whole.”
lecting what we publish and helping authors
three, issues per year, with a press run of
to strengthen their works--is an amazing
325. It has foreign and domestic subscrib-
Whyte continued, “The large increase in the
experience,” Whyte continued. “I am able
ers, including law schools, libraries, courts,
number of submissions also suggests that
to influence legal scholarship that matters,
judges, academics, and practitioners. “So
people are increasingly interested, on and off
and I am excited that our journal focuses on
far this year we’ve had 125 submissions; of
campus, in the issues and topics we cover.
publishing works that otherwise might not
those, four have been accepted, two of which
We received many more Associate Editor
be published, whether because they are from
are notes,” Whyte said. “Last year, by com-
applications this year than ever before. Some
non-traditional perspectives, voices of color,
parison, there were 131 submissions for the
people in the current 2L class chose Michi-
or less-well-known authors, or because they
entire year; eight articles were accepted, and
gan because of the affirmative action cases,
are too cutting -edge or discuss topics that
two of those eight were notes.”
so I think we also have a population that
other journals do not want to cover.”
understands and cares about the importance The Journal began as a reading group at
of issues of race within the law.”
cussed critical race scholarship and contem-
Whyte adds, “And I am able to be a part of something that matters.”
Michigan Law, where students read and dis“The Journal is integrated into the communi-
porary issues at the intersection of race and
ty in a lot of ways other organizations aren’t,”
For more information, please visit: http://
the law. Eventually the participants decided
said Pamela Grewal, a 2L at Michigan and
students.law.umich.edu/mjrl/index.htm
that these discussions were not enough.
a new Associate Editor at the Journal. “I’m
They decided to form a new journal that
involved, clearly, because it’s an academic
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