Volume 1, Issue 1 was published in November 1912, under the supervision of Editor-in-Chief Eugene Quay. At the time, an annual subscription to the new Journal cost one dollar. The first article was titled “The 125th Anniversary of the Drafting of the Constitution of the United States.” In a three-paragraph statement of purpose, the editors of the new Journal proclaimed:

Today, the Journal employs approximately 100 law students—about 50 in their graduating year who serve in editorial positions and 50 in intermediate years who serve as staff. The staff collect and check sources, performing technical edits and checking for typographical errors. The upperclass students are tasked with administering the Journal‘s daily operations.

An example of the Journal‘s work includes its Annual Review of Criminal Procedure, which has an annual distribution of over 20,000 copies. As a comprehensive survey of all criminal procedure in the federal courts, the ARCP is a useful resource in many district courts, U.S. Attorneys’ offices, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, a large number of law firms, and prison libraries.