Submissions

Call for Articles: Volume 26

The Tribal Law Journal (TLJ) invites submissions for Volume 26, to be published in the Spring of 2027. The Journal seeks scholarly, practitioner, and student work addressing legal issues affecting tribal nations and their internal justice systems. Contributions may include tribal court case comments, reflections on tribal systems, the development of tribal law, the value of tribal law, interviews, and teachings.

Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis and you will be notified directly regarding the status of your submission. If your proposal is selected, additional publishing instructions will be communicated. Email submissions and any questions to: tlj@law.unm.edu.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction and Public Safety Authority

  • Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (SDVCJ)
  • Criminal jurisdiction on highways/interstates within tribal lands
  • Cross-deputization agreements and MOUs
  • Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA/SOUSA) Programs
  • Jury trials in Indian Country

Tribal Regulatory Authority & Fundamental Rights (Tribal Constitutions & ICRA)

  • The Second Amendment and firearm regulation & restriction on tribal lands, including registration, licensure, and training requirements
  • Due Process Protections in criminal and civil proceedings under tribal codes, constitutions, and ICRA
  • Equal Protection & other fundamental rights under tribal constitutions and ICRA

Mental Health, Elder Law, and Protective Services in Tribes

  • Mental health law on tribal lands, including involuntary civil commitment
  • Adult Protective Services (APS), guardianship, and conservatorship for elders

Intergovernmental Relations and Tribal Sovereignty

  • Cooperation between tribal and state governments
  • Contemporary governance issues and sovereignty developments
  • Reflections on tribal involvement in Supreme Court litigation

Deadline

The Tribal Law Journal will consider proposals submitted by Monday, August 31, 2026. Upon receipt of your proposal, the Tribal Law Journal will send an acknowledgement to you. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. You will be notified by Wednesday, September 30, 2026 if your proposal has been selected.

Article Format

  • Submissions must not exceed 15,000 words.
  • Text must be double-spaced, plain font (Courier or Times New Roman), and no smaller than 12 pt. size.
  • 8.5” × 11” size with one-inch margins.
  • Page numbers must appear at the bottom of each page.
  • Title, author name(s), address, phone number, and brief biography must appear on the first page of text.
  • Submissions must use only footnotes as a form of citation. Footnotes should be single-spaced.
  • Block quotations must be single-spaced, indented one inch from margins, and be at least 50 words.
  • Citations must conform to the rules of The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citation (22nd ed.)
  • Tribal code and case citation format should conform to the high court of that particular tribe. See Author’s Manuscript Preparation Information.
  • Tables and figures must have a maximum size of 4.5” × 7” with headings and notes within those dimensions.
  • Papers must be submitted in Word .docx.

Questions

For more information, please visit the Tribal Law Journal website at lawschool.unm.edu/tlj/.
If you have questions, please contact the Tribal Law Journal at: tlj@law.unm.edu.

Submit Manuscripts for Consideration to

Tribal Law Journal
University of New Mexico School of Law
MSC11 6070, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001

tlj@law.unm.edu

Acknowledgment of Receipt

Upon receipt of your manuscript, the Tribal Law Journal will send an acknowledgment message. Please keep us informed of any changes to your manuscript or your contact information.

Article Withdrawal

Please notify our office as soon as possible if your manuscript is accepted by another journal so we may withdraw it from consideration.

Review Time Frame

If we are unable to review your manuscript and/or make a decision within 3 months of receipt, we will notify you that the manuscript is being withdrawn from our consideration.

Publication Offer

Once your manuscript is selected for publication we will contact you by phone, email, or fax. If your manuscript is still available we will send our acceptance package which includes an offer letter, Author Response form, Author Information form, our standard Publication Agreement, and Author’s Manuscript Preparation Information.

If you accept our offer, we will request that you submit the final version of the manuscript as electronic MS Word format by email. Please do not use automatic formatting, auto-hyphenation, style sheets, or outline functions. Contact our office if you do not have a compatible format.