Kentucky Law Journal
Founded in 1913, the Kentucky Law Journal is the national’s tenth-oldest continually published law review. We publish four print issues each year, plus timely scholarship online.
Edited by students with guidance from a faculty advisor, KLJ features work from leading scholars and original student work on a wide range of legal topics. Our mission is to advance legal thought, train the next generation of attorneys, and spark meaningful debate.
Online Originals
Schaeffer’s piece argues that Kentucky should adopt a statutory scheme to facilitate the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) similar to the one recently promulgated by the Virginia legislature. SMRs are advanced nuclear fission reactors that are smaller than traditional nuclear power plants. Their scale and modular nature makes them especially optimal for efficiency. With the proliferation of Kentucky's industrial sector, SMRs will play a crucial role in providing cost-effective electricity which will maximize Kentucky's economic output.
Student Blogs
Earlier this year, the OCTOPUS Act of 2025 made its first appearance in the U.S. Senate. The bill aims to ban commercial octopus farming, an unethical practice that endangers vital ecosystems and local economies. KLJ Volume 114 Staff Editor Katerine Walker dives into the legal waters of the bill and argues the house should allow the bill to stay afloat and become law.
Each day, many Americans awake to a terrifying reality: ability to afford their medical treatment and stay alive is entirely dependent upon their fragile financial status. While Congress has created a program to ease the crushing financial toll of medical treatment, the program now faces mounting legal challenges, and the Supreme Court may soon decide its fate. KLJ Volume 114 Staff Editor Will Stansell advocates for the upholding of this Congressional support program.
While the United States and Russia currently adhere to a nuclear arms treaty securing international security for both nations, the expiration of the agreement may pose a national security threat. The current relation between the leaders of the United States and Russia do not inspire confidence that a new international agreement will be created. KLJ Vol. 114 Staff Editor Harper Johnson explores the current agreement between the two superpowers and advocates for an extension of the treaty to avoid a nuclear security dilemma.
After a nearly two-year investigation following the death of Breonna Taylor, the U.S. Department of Justice published its finding that the Louisville Metro Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of violating constitutional and federal law. Though most officers were committed public servants, misconduct took a toll on the department and the community—Louisville needed change. KLJ Vol. 114 Staff Editor Caroline Shackleton advocates for meaningful, sustainable, and effective change in the Commonwealth’s largest city. Read Caroline’s blog on The Kentucky Law Journal Online today.
2025 has been a complicated year for American voting rights as red and blue states have been engaged in a high-profile arms race to see who can gerrymander congressional districts on political party lines the most dramatically. This trend of using demographic data to facilitate a particular election outcome undermines public faith in elections. KLJ Vol. 114 Staff Editor Garrett Sams explores old ideas that could help create a new system of district drawing that brings more democratic and egalitarian elections.