The Common Law

We are currently accepting submissions from all current law students for The Common Law Volume 59, Issue 1 (Fall 2025) 

The Common Law serves as a forum for shorter works, including abridged notes and seminar papers. The chosen works will go through an abridged editing process and will be published on the JLSP website. Due to the shortened editorial timeline, this is an excellent opportunity to publish work that is time-sensitive or especially newsworthy. 

Submissions must be 20-30 pages, double-spaced in size 12, Times New Roman font. Thorough citations and Bluebooking will be considered in the selection process. The pieces must address a social issue of some type. Submissions are due August 20th, 2025, at 11:59 pm. 

To apply, please send the following via email to Abby Thompson at att2148@columbia.edu: 

  • First and Last Name 
  • Law School Email 
  • Title of Piece 
  • A brief abstract of your piece (300 words max) 
  • Why do you want this work to be published? What role do you see it playing (i.e., novel scholarship, informing practitioners, policy advocacy)?
  • An attached copy of your piece in a Word document 

Nonprofit Law’s Antidiscrimination Loophole: Applying a Renewed Private Benefit Standard to Name, Image, and Likeness Collectives

By Kristen Popham America’s rapidly expanding and politically influential nonprofit sector is under increased scrutiny, and nonprofit law has yet to provide answers to critics’ burning questions. If the nonprofit sector is born of a democratic commitment to pluralism and community linkages, what do we make of its contributions to […]

The City of (Big) Brotherly Love: Examining the Federal and State Constitutional Implications of Real-Time Crime Center Surveillance in Philadelphia

By Mary Gianna Hill The rise of Real-Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) in the United States, including their implementation in Pennsylvania, marks a significant development in law enforcement surveillance. These centers employ advanced technologies to conduct real-time monitoring of the public. While the primary aim of RTCCs is to enhance public […]

Searching for Judges Who Hear: Analyzing the Effects of Colorado’s Abolition of Qualified Immunity on Civil Rights Litigation

By Colin Cowperthwaite “Section 1983 was born out of the failures of state courts.  Over a hundred years later, [Colorado’s Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act (ELEIA)] was born out of the failures of federal courts to protect individuals from civil rights violations committed by local law enforcement.  By removing qualified […]