Who We Are
The American Indian Law Review serves as a nationwide scholarly forum for analysis of developments in legal issues pertaining to Native Americans and indigenous peoples worldwide. Publishing two issues each year, AILR circulates in-depth articles by legal scholars, attorneys and other expert observers. In addition, the Review provides comments and notes written by student members and editors on a variety of Indian law-related topics.
Every spring AILR hosts one of the nation’s largest symposia on Native American law, in partnership with OU’s Native American Studies Department and the Native American Law Students Association. AILR also sponsors an annual Indian law writing competition, which is open to currently enrolled law students throughout the United States and Canada. The top three entries are awarded cash prizes and the first place entry is published in the Review.
Founded in 1973 by an enterprising group of students, AILR consistently boasts a broad membership dedicated to the study of Native American law. Approximately fifty OU Law students participate in AILR each academic year.
What's New at AILR
Judging of the five finalist papers is now in progress for the 2025-2026 American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition. The first-place winner will be announced on or before May 1, 2026. See the Writing Competition page at that time for an announcement.
The latest issue of the American Indian Law Review, vol. 50, no. 1, was published in April 2026 and has been posted at the Digital Commons page. Featured in this issue is the winning paper in the 2025 AILR National Writing Competition, “Ward, Trust, or Sovereign: The Impact of Metaphor in Supreme Court Indian Law Jurisprudence,” by Sadie Pate. Also featured in this issue is an essay, “’Discovered!’: Plaintiff’s Brief to the United States Supreme Court in Johnson & Graham’s Lessee v. M‘Intosh (1823),” by Mark Savage; one student comment, “The Bad Man’s Hourglass: Extending the Clock on Justice,” by Liv G. Cummins; and three student notes, “With Religious Freedom Came Religious Authority: Apache Stronghold v. United States and the Exclusion of Native American Religion Within the Legal Understanding of Religious Freedom,” by Cassidy Beck; “Abrogation Without Mention: A Note on Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin, by Taya Maxson; and Tulsa v. O’Brien: A City Adds to the Battle over Jurisdiction in Indian Country,” by Fatima D. Jaime. The issue also spotlights “Winner, Best Appellate Brief in the 2025 Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition,” by Baylee Ogle and Madison Bailey.
Serving the American Indian Law Review as editors for the 2025-2026 academic year are: Editor-in-Chief: Baylee Ogle; Managing Editor: Amelia Wimmer; Executive Editor: Will Speed; Business Development Editor: Drew Cromer; Articles Development Editor: Victoria Bradshaw; Assistant Managing Editors: Kaci Godfrey, Taya Maxson, Hannah Morton, Katie Reese, and Nick Rogers; Assistant Executive Editors: Mallory Duncan, Gabrielle Gollihar, Fatima Jaime, Sydney Mcclaskey, Alexis O’brien, and Seth Phung; Research Editors: Cassidy Beck, Victoria Bradshaw, Liv Cummins, and Taya Maxson; Writing Competition Editor: Michael Johnson; and Marketing Editor: Liv Cummins.
The AILR is currently reviewing articles. See the Submissions page for details.
The AILR archive of past issues is available free of charge. PDF copies of issues going back to vol. 1, no. 1 (1973) can be found through our Digital Commons page.
How to Contact Us
Baylee Ogle, Editor-in-Chief: ailreic@groups.ou.edu
Michael Waters, Editorial Advisor: mwaters@ou.edu
The American Indian Law Review is dedicated to publishing scholarly work in the field of federal Indian law and issues affecting indigenous peoples. The editorial board consists of law students, not licensed attorneys, and cannot provide legal advice. For assistance with legal issues please contact your local legal aid society.
AILR may be contacted by regular mail at: American Indian Law Review, University of Oklahoma College of Law, 300 Timberdell Road, Norman, OK 73019
Digital Commons
Explore AILR archives on OU Law's Digital Commons.