One of the most important extracurricular activities in law school is membership on a law journal. There are a plethora of compelling reasons to join the staff of a law journal. Membership can benefit a student’s legal career, as it will not only be academically enriching, but also will impress future employers. Journal membership offers students the opportunity to enhance skills development, broaden professional networks, and produce an article for publication.

The American Indian Law Journal (AILJ) is a co-curricular journal at Seattle University School of Law that is dedicated to the development of Indian law education and advocacy.

Notably, American Indians and Alaska Natives have been marginalized and persecuted throughout our country's history, and unfortunately, these themes of prejudice and injustice persist today. Indian law implicates a myriad of social justice concerns, including civil rights violations, protection of cultural resources, religious freedom, the loss of land and natural resources, and the regulation of environmental quality. Despite these numerous issues, there are only two dedicated Indian law journals in North America.

The AILJ is an academic collaboration among students, faculty, and practitioners. The AILJ is designed to fill a critical gap in the amount of current scholarship available to those interested in the rapidly developing field of Indian law. The AILJ strives to publish articles by an array of legal professionals, including law students, professors, judges, and practitioners. All article submissions are subjected to a thorough editorial process, which is designed to strengthen substance and tone.

The AILJ is a student run journal, which consists of about twenty-five 2L, 3L, and 4L Editors annually. The Editors hold positions on the AILJ’s Executive Board, the Editorial Board, and Committees. Although the AILJ collaborates with dedicated and invested parties, ultimately the AILJ’s Editors make all the editorial and organizational decisions. Thus, student editors take a rewarding role that helps to shape legal scholarship and discourse. The AILJ also has support from Faculty Advisors, Law Librarians, External Advisors, and the general community at Seattle University School of Law.

The primary purpose of the AILJ is to publish original legal scholarship within the realm of American Indian Law. Indian law concerns a wide range of legal issues, including without limitation constitutional, tax, property, contracts, gaming, intellectual property, and environmental law. Consequently, the American Indian Law Journal (AILJ) provides students with a practical and marketable skill set while exemplifying Seattle University School of Law's commitment to social justice.

The AILJ is designed to improve the writing skills and research techniques our Editors, while simultaneously providing an environment to instill self-discipline and analytical proficiency through the hard work required to publish quality legal scholarship. Further, the AILJ provides our Editors with the opportunity to develop their technical editing and writing abilities through focused workshops and other means designed to assist each Editor in crafting legal scholarship of publishable quality.

Dedicated in developing the apex of Indian law advocates, the AILJ thanks you for visiting us and encourages you to subscribe to receive our email updates!

Are you a Seattle University School of Law student interested in joining the AILJ as a student Editor? Click Here!

Questions? AILJ1@seattleu.edu