History
Established in 1931, the Michigan State Law Review is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship throughout the legal community. The Law Review is committed to publishing innovative legal analysis on intriguing and timely issues. Since the inception of the journal, the Law Review has undergone several name changes. While its name has changed, the Michigan State Law Review’s history and d
edication to publishing the highest quality of legal scholarship dates back to the fall of 1931 and the Detroit College of Law. The Detroit College of Law opened its doors in January 1892 and the first issue of the Detroit Law Review was published in June 1931, aspiring to provide a necessary outlet for constructive legal research in the school and city. The school’s prior publication, The Brief Case, received such overwhelming enthusiasm and requests to contribute from students, faculty, and writers not associated with the school that publishing a law review was a natural next step. In 1938, the Detroit Law Review ceased publication, but was revived for three issues during the 1947-1948 academic year. In 1975, the journal renewed publication as the Detroit College of Law Review. The Detroit College of Law moved to East Lansing, Michigan, and joined Michigan State University in 1995. Following this move, the journal became the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University Law Review. In 1999, the journal became The Law Review of Michigan State University, Detroit College of Law. For two issues in 2003, the journal was known as the Michigan State DCL Law Review, before becoming the Michigan State Law Review in winter 2003. Recently, the Michigan State Law Review has steadily climbed the law journal rankings. The law review was ranked 172nd among flagship journals in 2003. The journal enjoyed its highest ranking when it was ranked 42nd in 2012. Today, the journal is ranked 48th among flagship journals and is among the most rapidly cited journals in the country.
