Fordham Law Voting Rights and Democracy Forum Commentaries provide an agile platform for legal scholars, experts and students to share timely analysis of today’s legal issues impacting democratic institutions, civil rights and liberties, and electoral systems.
We are actively reviewing Commentaries of between 400 and 2,000 words for publication.
Examples of format include:
- Analysis of a case, proposed legislation, statute or regulation, or of another underdeveloped legal topic;
- Opinion-editorials with a clear topic and theme;
- Reviews of books and scholarly legal articles;
- Letters to the Editor responding to published Forum commentaries, articles, and essays.
How to Submit a Commentary
Submissions may be sent to the Executive Commentary Editor at democracyforum.ece@law.fordham.edu with “Commentary Submission” in the subject line. Current law students should additionally submit a C.V. or resume.
Commentaries are evaluated based on the quality of the analysis and the timeliness of the topic. Forum editors work with authors to finalize the work for publication, including conducting a comprehensive review of all sources. Commentaries must contain hyperlinks to sources, but need not cite in footnotes.
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About the Forum
The Forum is a student-edited online publication within the Voting Rights and Democracy Project at Fordham University School of Law. We publish legal analysis by law professors, scholars, policymakers, legal practitioners and law students on voting rights, election law, democratic institutions, and how these areas intersect with social justice.
As one of the first law school publications with this focus, the Forum publishes pieces on topics including, but not limited to:
- redistricting and gerrymandering;
- voter disenfranchisement;
- racial discrimination in elections;
- ballot access and reform;
- campaign finance;
- contested elections and post-election litigation;
- reform of democratic institutions;
- separation of powers;
- election administration;
- lobbying and ethics reform;
- recall elections;
- popular referenda and initiatives; and
- the rule of law.