CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE:

The Journal of Law Reform focuses on publishing law reform-oriented articles and
student notes. Since its birth in the late 1960s, the Journal has followed a mandate to
promote the improvement of the law in all areas by identifying areas of law in need of
reform and advancing useful proposals for reform of these areas in need.

ARTICLE I. NAME

SECTION 1.

This organization will officially be known as the Journal of Law Reform.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

SECTION 1.

The Journal of Law Reform is a student-run scholarly publication which seeks to publish
articles and notes that identify legal problems and propose viable reforms for these
problems. On occasion, the Journal also hosts symposia pertaining to areas of law in
need of reform.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1.

Only University of Michigan law students are eligible for membership on the Journal of
Law Reform.

SECTION 2.

Students interested in the Journal of Law Reform are eligible to apply for membership
after completing their first year of law school. Current Journal members evaluate the

1
applications. Approximately fifty students a year are chosen to join the Journal of Law
Reform.

SECTION 3.

A student may voluntarily withdraw from the Journal at any time. However, his or her
name will be removed from the masthead and he or she may be asked to notify any
employers who are aware of his or her membership on the Journal of his or her
subsequent withdrawal.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

SECTION 1.

The number of officers may vary from year to year, but typically there is one Editor in
Chief, one Managing Editor, one Managing Article Editor, five Article Editors, one
Managing Executive Editor, five Executive Editors, one Managing Note Editor, and five
Note Editors. These positions comprise the Editorial Board and all Editorial Board
members are responsible for overseeing the publication of the Journal. The Law School
also employs several full-time employees devoted to the publication of the Journal (as
well as other scholarly journals).

SECTION 2

The Journal does not have a formal Executive Committee. Unless otherwise stated by
this Constitution, all final decisions are made by the Editor in Chief. While not required,
the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, Managing Article Editor, Managing Executive
Editor, and Managing Note Editor typically meet on a weekly basis to discuss Journal-
related issues.

SECTION 3.

Our Advisor serves as a sounding board for any concerns we may have regarding the
publication and management of the Journal.

ARTICLE V. OPERATIONS

SECTION 1.

Any member of the Journal who successfully completed one semester as an Associate
Editor is eligible to run for Editorial Board in his or her second semester.

SECTION 2.

2
Editorial Board members are chosen by outgoing members of the Editorial Board. The
final decision is that of the Editor in Chief, but he or she should give deference to the
opinion of the individual serving in the position being filled. The Editor in Chief can also
implement a different type of appointment procedure at his or her discretion. New
members of the Editorial Board are typically chosen in January or February, but the
timing of this decision rests with the current Editorial Board. Editorial Board members
are elected to help ensure the continuing publication of the Journal.

SECTION 3.

Editorial Board members assume their positions immediately after appointment.

However, outgoing Editorial Board members will stay involved in the Journal for as long
as it takes to adequately train their successors.

SECTION 4.

The advisor does not play a role in Editorial Board appointments.

ARTICLE VI. FINANCES

SECTION 1.

All publication costs are paid by the Law School. The Journal itself never has control of
these funds. Financing for Journal-related activities comes from a variety of sources, but
the majority of funding comes from the Law School’s Nannes Third Year Challenge. The
Journal has not traditionally engaged in fundraising.

SECTION 2.

The Office Supervisor (a Law School employee) oversees publication costs. The
Managing Editor oversees financing of other Journal-related activities.

ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1.

Amendments should be proposed in a letter or email addressed to the remainder of the

Editorial Board.

SECTION 2.

Any member of the Editorial Board can propose an Amendment. If an Associate Editor
or Contributing Editor wishes to propose an Amendment, he or she must find a member
of the Editorial Board to sponsor the Amendment.

3
SECTION 3.

Amendments can be voted on as soon as they are officially proposed. An Amendment

will be officially accepted when at least 75% of the Editorial Board approves the
Amendment.

ARTICLE VIII. REGISTRATION RENEWAL

SECTION 1.

The Managing Editor is charged with completing the registration renewal process. The
Managing Editor must comply with the registration process and dates set forth by the
SOAS office.

ARTICLE IX. REMOVAL OF MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1.

Members of the Editorial Board may be removed for failure to fulfill the duties of their
office or if they knowingly obstruct timely publication of the Journal.

SECTION 2.

The Editor in Chief has sole discretion to remove members of the Editorial Board and
appoint replacement members. If a member of the Editorial Board wishes to remove the
Editor in Chief, the Editor in Chief can only be removed if at least 75% of the Editorial
Board members voting on removal vote to remove him or her. The remaining Editorial
Board members can appoint a new Editor in Chief in whatever manner they deem
appropriate.

SECTION 3.

Members of the organization (which include Contributing Editors and Associate Editors)
will be removed if they fail to meet their responsibilities, which may include grading of
applications, completion of note requirements, and completion of sourcegathering and
citechecking assignments. Members of the organization will also be removed for
plagiarism.

SECTION 4.

If a Contributing Editor or Associate Editor does not meet one of his or her requirements,
the Managing Editor will issue a warning. If the Contributing Editor or Associate Editor
fails to meet future requirements, the Editor in Chief has discretion to remove the
Contributing Editor or the Associate Editor from the Journal. If an Associate Editor is

4
found guilty of plagiarism, he or she will be removed immediately (and will not receive a
warning or an opportunity to improve behavior).

ARTICLE X. BY-LAWS

The Journal does not currently have any by-laws.

ARTICLE XI. STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

SECTION 1.

The Journal of Law Reform agrees to abide by all established University Policies.