The ''Columbia Journal of Transnational Law'' is a

law review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also provide ...

edited and published by students at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

. One of the oldest student-run international law journals in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, it publishes scholarly articles and student notes on issues of transnational law.

Ranking and Citations

The ''Columbia Journal of Transnational Law'' is the highest-ranked and most-cited specialty journal at

. It is listed among the Peace Palace Library's top international law journals. The journal has been cited by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the

Second Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and it has appellate jurisdic ...

, the

United States Court of International Trade The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...

, and numerous other federal appellate and district courts. The journal has also been cited by the

Permanent Court of Arbitration The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered at the Peace Palace, in The Hague, Netherlands. Unlike a judicial court in the traditional sense, the PCA provides administrative support in international ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) is an international arbitration institution established in 1966 for legal dispute resolution and conciliation between international investors and States. ICSID is part of ...

, as well as by separate and dissenting opinions of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

and

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an intergovernmental organization created by the mandate of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. It was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law ...

. Several States, including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, the United States, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, have also cited to the Journal in their written submissions, memorials, and counter-memorials to the International Court of Justice in respect of several landmark contentious cases and advisory opinions, including the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons,

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

and the

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

Advisory Opinions.

History

The ''Columbia Journal of Transnational Law'' was created by Wolfgang G. Friedmann and a group of Columbia law students belonging to the Columbia Society of International Law. The first volume, published in 1961 under the name the ''Bulletin of the Columbia Society of International Law'', consisted of informal discussions of international legal questions. The second volume, published in 1963 under the title ''International Law Bulletin'', adopted the tradition of the scholarly law review. During its second decade, the journal expanded publication to three issues per year, experimented with themed issues, and published some of the early proceedings of the Friedmann Conference which is held annually at Columbia Law School. By the beginning of its third decade, the journal's themed issues—entire issues dedicated to the examination of current international law problems—became regular publications. These topical issues have examined international taxation, international trade embargoes and boycotts, China's legal development, sovereign debt rescheduling, socialist law and international satellite communications.

Organizational structure and staff

The ''Columbia Journal of Transnational Law'' is published by The Columbia Journal of Transnational Law Association, Inc., a New York corporation. The corporation is overseen by a

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of 18 members. The journal is further assisted by a board of advisors consisting of 9 members. The 2023-2024 editorial staff for Volume 62 consists of 29 student editors and 41 staff members.

The ''Bulletin''

The ''Columbia Journal of Transnational Law'' also publishes the ''Bulletin'', an online publication featuring student notes, legal updates, and interviews with legal scholars and practitioners.

Wolfgang Friedmann Memorial Award

The Wolfgang Friedmann Memorial Award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of transnational law. The award is given in memory of the journal's founder,

Wolfgang Friedmann Wolfgang Gaston Friedmann (25 January 1907 – 20 September 1972) was a German American legal scholar. Specializing in international law, he was a faculty member at Columbia Law School. Biography Born in Berlin, Friedmann finished his studie ...

. The recipient of the award is honored at the annual Wolfgang Friedmann Banquet.

References

{{Columbia American law journals Triannual journals Academic journals established in 1961 English-language journals Columbia University academic journals