American Indian Law Review

The American Indian Law Review serves as a nationwide scholarly forum for analysis of developments in legal issues pertaining to Native Americans and indigenous peoples worldwide. Publishing two issues each year, AILR circulates in-depth articles by legal scholars, attorneys and other expert observers. In addition, the Review provides comments and notes written by student members and editors on a variety of Indian law-related topics.

Every spring AILR hosts one of the nation’s largest symposia on Native American law, in partnership with OU’s Native American Studies Department and the Native American Law Students Association. AILR also sponsors an annual Indian law writing competition, which is open to currently enrolled law students throughout the United States and Canada. The top three entries are awarded cash prizes and the first place entry is published in the Review.

Founded in 1973 by an enterprising group of students, AILR consistently boasts a diverse membership dedicated to the study of Native American law. Approximately fifty OU Law students participate in AILR each academic year.

The latest issue of the American Indian Law Review, vol. 47, no. 2, was published in September and has been posted at the Current Issues page.  This issue features four student comments: “The Winding Trail: A Look at Non-Linear Temporality in Literary Works in Response to the Issue of Sovereignty,” by Gabrielle Jones; “Pachamama over People and Profit: A Case for Indigenous Ecology and Environmental Personhood,” by Hilda Loury; “The Administration of Injustice: The Conflict Between Federal and Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction,” by Grace Slaff; and “Indian Country’s Continued Struggle with the Opioid Crisis: Focused Problem Areas, the Federal Government’s Response, and What More Can Be Done,” by AshLynn M. Wilkerson.  Concluding this issue is a special feature: the Best Appellate Brief in the 2023 Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition, by Noah Goldenberg & Clayton Kinsey.

American Indian Law Review editors serving for the 2023-2024 academic year are: Editor-in-Chief: J. Santana Spangler-Day; Managing Editor: Rachel M. Yost; Executive Editor: Rudy A. Sanchez; Business Development Editor: James Hulin; Articles Development Editor: Nicole Low; Assistant Managing Editors: Rebecca M. Kamp, LeeAnn Littlejohn, Miranda Padilla, and Dillon M. Sullivan; Assistant Executive Editors: Meg Bloom, Kara Givens, Caroline Stout-Thurmaier, and Stassi M. Vullo; Research Editors: Camryn A. Conroy, Madelynn M. Dancer, and LeeAnn Littlejohn; and Writing Competitions Editor: Miranda Padilla.

Winners have been announced in the 2022-2023 American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition.  See the Writing Competition page for details.  

Vol. 47, no. 1 of the American Indian Law Review, published in May 2023, is also available in PDF format at the Current Issues page.  This issue presents two student comments: "The Impact of Climate Change on the Cultural Identity of Indigenous Peoples and the Nation’s First 'Climate Refugees'," by Jordan K. Medaris, and "Indigenous Boarding Schools in the United States and Canada: Potential Issues and Opportunities for Redress as the United States Government Initiates Formal Investigation", by Keiteyana I. Parks.  Also featured are two student notes, "State ex rel. Matloff v. Wallace: Reversing Course on Subject Matter Jurisdiction," by Andrew Case, and "Cooley’s Hidden Ramifications: Has the Supreme Court Extended the Terry Doctrine for Automobile Searches to the Point of Eliminating Probable Cause?," by Thomas G. Hamilton.  In addition, this issue offers the first-prize winning paper in the 2022-2023 AILR National Writing Competition, "'The Center Cannot Hold': Nation and Narration in American Indian Law," by Chantelle van Wiltenburg, and the Best Appellate Brief in the 2022 Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition, by Daniel Ahrens & Case Nieboer.

The AILR is currently reviewing articles.  See the Submissions page for details.

The AILR archive of past issues is available free of charge. PDF copies of issues going back to vol. 1, no. 1 (1973) can be found through our Digital Commons page.

J. Santana Spangler-Day, Editor-in-Chief: jack.s.spanglerday-1@ou.edu, (405) 325-2840

Michael Waters, Editorial Advisor: mwaters@ou.edu, (405) 325-5191

The American Indian Law Review is dedicated to publishing scholarly work in the field of federal Indian law and issues affecting indigenous peoples. The editorial board consists of law students, not licensed attorneys, and cannot provide legal advice. For assistance with legal issues please contact your local legal aid society.

AILR may be contacted by regular mail at: American Indian Law Review, University of Oklahoma College of Law, 300 Timberdell Road, Norman, OK 73019