PUBLISHED:April 28, 2015

Duke Law assumes publication of Judicature

Duke Law assumes publication of Judicature

Duke Law’s Center for Judicial Studies has taken over publication of Judicature, the scholarly journal of the American Judicature Society (AJS), which is dissolving.

“The missions of the Center for Judicial Studies and Judicature are closely aligned,” said Dean David F. Levi. “The center is well positioned to combine its institutional strengths in law and political science with Judicature’s reputation for scholarly and empirical legal writing in ways that will promote an understanding of judicial institutions and law reform.”

The acquisition ensures continued publication of the venerable publication focused on the American judicial system.

“We are excited to carry on AJS’s legacy by providing a stable financial foundation for Judicature and a commitment to maintaining the high quality for which it has been known,” said Levi, a former United States district judge who chairs the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the American Judicial System (see page 10). “We plan to bring a fresh perspective to the publication, tailoring its articles to focus particularly on matters relevant to judges and the improvement of the administration of justice.”

“We are very pleased that Judicature has a new home at Duke Law School,” said AJS President Tom Leighton. AJS was founded in 1913 to advance knowledge of the American judicial system and advocate for judicial selection reform.

Judicature will publish quarterly beginning in May 2015. Student judges in the Master of Judicial Studies program comprise the editorial board; Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is serving as editor in chief for the publication’s inaugural issue at Duke.

The first issue focuses on “The View from the Bench” and includes, among others, an article on cameras in the jury room by Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; a roundtable discussion among chief judges on the challenges facing the judiciary; and an examination on proposed reforms to Rule 23 by Professor Richard Marcus of the University of California, Hastings.

Hawkins noted that judges historically have looked forward to receiving Judicature.

“Now, paired with one of the nation’s finest law schools with a unique insight into the real world work of judges, its pages should be even more interesting to those who study and care about judicial process everywhere,” he said.