Do You Ever Read Law Review Articles? Or Write Them?
A story in the February issue of the ABA Journal takes note of how scholarly law review articles are declining in influence and notes a comment that U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made last year: “Pick up a copy of any law review that you see, and the first article is likely to be, you know, the influence of Immanuel Kant on evidentiary approaches in 18th Century Bulgaria, or something, which I’m sure was of great interest to the academic that wrote it, but isn’t of much help to the bar.”
Not all judges necessarily agree with that assessment: Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recounted how an article in the University of Pittsburgh Law Review instructed him on how to write a more erudite opinion.
But we want to know what you think. So tell us: Do you ever read law review articles? Or write them? Do you think they are a waste of your time and a poor judge of a legal academic’s value to an institution, or required reading for anyone in practice?
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: What SCOTUS Decision Would You Like to See a Documentary or Feature Film About?
Featured answer:
Posted by Michael O.: “After reading Jeff Benedict’s Little Pink House, I thought Kelo v. City of New London would make a good film, perhaps as a dark comedy in the spirit of Barbarians at the Gate. The book depicts some great characters, villains and heroes alike.”
Do you have an idea for a future question of the week? If so, contact us.
