The Journal of Free Speech Law, now five years old, is urging scholars to submit articles directly to it before the usual law review cycle resumes in August. The journal says it has published more than 150 pieces, including work by prominent figures such as Jack Balkin, Mark Lemley, and Jane Ginsburg, as well as emerging scholars without tenure-track appointments. Its articles have been cited in 11 court cases, over 2,000 scholarly works, and at least 100 legal briefs.
Submissions must be exclusive, but the journal promises a decision within 14 days, allowing authors to go elsewhere if rejected. Accepted pieces can be published within a few months, roughly a year earlier than traditional law journals. The journal also says it does not limit the number of slots per issue, so any article meeting its quality standards can be published.
Authors are asked to submit anonymized drafts and a short note explaining the article's novelty, rather than a cover letter. The journal prefers concise, clear writing that gets quickly to new material, avoiding extended background on familiar precedents. It welcomes doctrinal, theoretical, historical, and empirical work on speech, press, assembly, and petition, and is open to student-written pieces under the same standards as other submissions. Articles focused purely on religious exercise are generally excluded unless they also substantially address religious speech.