Founding Ideals in Constitutional Practice: The Declaration's 250-Year Legal Journey
The Northern Kentucky Law Review is pleased to announce our Symposium Issue commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our symposium will occur on Friday, April 3rd, 2026.
This symposium explores how foundational principles from the Declaration of Independence and English Common Law continue to animate contemporary constitutional debates. Rather than focusing narrowly on the Declaration as a historical artifact, we examine the persistent legal tensions that originated in 1776 and still shape modern jurisprudence
By connecting Declaration principles to constitutional doctrine, this symposium opens the conversation to mainstream constitutional law scholarship while maintaining historical grounding. We welcome contributions from jurisprudence scholars, constitutional theorists, federal courts experts, and legal historians.
This symposium will feature scholarship for publication in the Northern Kentucky Law Review's 53rd Volume and for presentation at the symposium event. More details regarding the symposium event will be provided if a submission is accepted for review.
Submission Guidelines
The Northern Kentucky Law Review accepts article submissions through Scholastica or via email to our Lead Articles Editor, Kendal Pickens, at pickensk3@mymail.nku.edu. When submitting via email, please attach the most recent version of your manuscript as well as a current resume or CV.
Manuscripts must be submitted by January 1, 2026, and final publication decisions will be communicated by January 31, 2026. The Northern Kentucky Law Review will communicate decisions on a rolling basis throughout the submission period.
Technical and Formatting Requirements
Formatting Standards: All submissions should be provided in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx) using standard academic fonts including Times New Roman or Courier. Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout with 12-point font size. Authors are encouraged to organize their work with clear, descriptive section headings and subheadings that guide readers through the analysis. While a table of contents may be helpful for longer pieces, it is not mandatory.
The Northern Kentucky Law Review does not impose length restrictions. Authors should use their professional judgment to determine the appropriate scope and length for their scholarly contribution.
Citation Standards: All citations must adhere to the current 22nd edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. Authors should use footnotes, and should provide proper attribution for all referenced materials. Original analysis and author commentary need not be footnoted, but all factual assertions and legal authorities require appropriate sourcing.
Special Note on Cited Sources: The Northern Kentucky Law Review takes great pride in its editorial process, which primarily involves conducting thorough due diligence by reviewing each source cited in an article chosen for publication. To facilitate this process, all cited sources must be readily accessible via standard legal/academic research tools (court reporters, Lexis/Westlaw/InterLibrary Loan, HeinOnline, etc.).
Authors selected for publication must be prepared to supply those sources that are not available via standard legal/academic research tools. Authors selected for publication must cite to sources that are in English. For those sources that are not in English, the Author must be prepared to provide English translations. Articles may be precluded from publication if, in the Lead Articles Editor's due diligence, they find that an article's sources are either inaccessible, not offered in English, or that the Author is not able and/or willing to assist with providing sources in appropriate form.
For questions regarding submissions, please contact our Lead Articles Editor at pickensk3@mymail.nku.edu. We look forward to receiving your scholarly contributions to Volume 53 of the Northern Kentucky Law Review.