Walking Down Memory Lane on the 50th Anniversary of YJIL

Yale Journal of International Law

Primarily a student endeavor, the Yale Journal of International Law (YJIL) was inaugurated in 1974 as Yale Studies in World Public Order under the editorship of then-graduate student Eisuke Suzuki. In the Foreword, Suzuki dedicated the journal to the concept of “World Public Order”. The lead article by the editor, entitled “The New Haven School of International Law: An Invitation to a Policy-Oriented Jurisprudence”, illuminates a world order premised on “reasoned decisions”, which are articulated in Studies in World Public Order (1960) as “decisions achieved through procedures and justified in terms of policy criteria established by community expectation”.

Over its five decades, the journal underwent two name changes, in 1980 to Yale Journal of World Public Order and in 1984 to its current title, Yale Journal of International Law. It has published a vast array of articles by students and scholars focusing on the many pressing “reasoned decisions” made at the time. The journal has documented, and continues to reflect on, ongoing policy decision discussions among students, scholars, and practitioners of law, as well as policy advocates and makers.

The timeline highlights the journal’s memorable milestones, symposia and colloquia over the five decades. It also spotlights the journal’s complementary online iteration, YJIL Online, a platform embracing the need for contemporaneous discussions.