With its first issue published yesterday, the Ohio State Law Journal’s new Sixth Circuit Review is meant to be a “digital public square” for discussion of Sixth Circuit cases and longer-term circuit trends. The new online-only publication invites all—whether practitioners, academics, judges or students—to contribute articles that are both practical and scholarly, as well as to respond to articles previously published in the SCR. SCR articles, like those of the Journal’s online supplement, Furthermore, are shorter and less footnoted than traditional law review pieces.
Chief Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr., together with former clerk Noah Litton, provided the Foreword to the SCR’s first issue, emphasizing the importance of “frank and ongoing dialogue” and encouraging “court watchers” to participate by promising that “the judges of our circuit and their law clerks will surely read in earnest whatever you write.” The remaining articles—including three from Sixth Circuit Appellate Blog contributors—covered a diverse range of topics: ethics and professionalism, pro se appeals, application of Circuit Rule 32.1 by district courts, critiques of whistleblower protections, summary dispositions, First Amendment balancing, and scienter pleading standards in securities fraud litigation.
As avid Sixth Circuit “court-watchers,” we applaud the Ohio State Law Journal’s decision to provide this forum for Sixth-Circuit-specific discussion and look forward to both reading and contributing to future issues.
