Student Notes

The Journal of Law & Politics Notes Pool: Winter 2026

The Journal of Law & Politics will be accepting submissions for its Notes Pool until 11:59PM EST. on Sunday, January 18th. Late submissions will not be accepted. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Earlier submissions are encouraged. Students who would like their Note to be considered for publication in JLP should read the following guidelines and submission instructions:

Notes Pool Eligibility: Notes are student-written articles. JLP accepts submissions from current J.D. candidates at all law schools. Candidates from the University of Virginia School of Law are particularly encouraged to submit. Submissions are also considered from recent graduates who have received a J.D. within the preceding twelve months.

Selecting a Note Topic: Notes may be broadly on any area of law but must have a focus on the intersection between the law and politics. The Journal of Law & Politics is the only nonpartisan publication focused on law and politics and, pursuant to that mission, considers submissions from all political ideologies. Submissions may take an ideological position or may opt to remain neutral. The topic may also not be preempted by an already published piece. Interested students should examine if their topic of choice has already been covered in previous publications, if their Note will contribute a sufficiently different viewpoint of the issue, and if their discussion is appropriately tailored.

JLP has recently published student Notes on these topics:

    • U.S. military academies and the use of affirmative action after SFFA;
    • Artificial intelligence and tailoring the First Amendment; and
    • Climate change and the need to modernize public utilities law

Length: Notes should be 7,500–15,000 words including footnotes (approximately 25-40 pages in double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font). Notes exceeding 15,500 words will not be considered without prior approval by the Notes Team & the Editor-in-Chief.

Submissions Requirements:

  • Please email submissions to notes@lawandpolitics.net in a word document (.docx format) by the deadline (January 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM).
  • The subject line should be “Winter Notes Pool”
  • Please include a CV or resume. GPA and other information related to grades may be redacted.

Formatting Requirements:

  • Please use double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font for the body text and footnotes (rather than endnotes) formatted according to the Bluebook.
  • the file name must be the note’s title.
  • The document must include a cover page with only the following:
    • your submission’s title;
    • a single-spaced abstract of 250 words or fewer summarizing your argument and scholarly contribution;
    • a table of contents; and
    • the word count, both with and without footnotes.

Evaluation:
JLP considers the following criteria when selecting notes: the quality of the writing and analysis; the topic’s novelty and timeliness; and its fit with JLP’s focus on pieces at the nexus of law and politics.

AI Policy: JLP recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) is an increasingly useful tool in the legal field and in legal research and writing, in particular. Nonetheless, we expect that all submitted scholarship is the original and sole work of the author. You represent and warrant that no part of the work, above or below the line, was written by AI. If AI was used in the research process, you must — prior to the start of your work’s initial edit — disclose to the editors the type and extent of AI usage. Should JLP discover after acceptance that the piece is not the sole work of the author or has been misrepresented, JLP reserves the right to rescind the offer of publication.

Graded Submissions:
Per the University’s Academic Policies, no student may submit a note during the same semester the written work is submitted for a grade without prior approval from the Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Editor-in-Chief.

Questions & Notes Advising:
Please contact the Notes Team (notes@lawandpolitics.net) or the Editor-in-Chief, Will Collins (hjd4fw@virginia.edu) with any questions.

JLP may offer limited advising to students who are interested in submitting a Note for publication, whether or not those students are current members of JLP. Advising is available at any stage of the writing process (selecting a topic, reviewing an existing draft, etc.) and to answer questions about the submission process. The Notes Team is limited in their ability to advise students, but we will make our best effort to provide feedback and answer questions.

Pursuant to the University of Virginia’s Honor Code, we are unable to give substantive advice on any paper that will be submitted for a grade until the student has turned it in to their professor. Students interested in Notes Advising may email notes@lawandpolitics.net. Please note that new requests for advising will not be entertained during open Notes Pools. This policy is intended to ensure that authors have sufficient time to implement suggested changes before submission deadlines.