USC Journal of Law & Society
The leading interdisciplinary journal at the University of Southern California
The Journal of Law and Society at the University of Southern California is a student-run, interdisciplinary Journal that promotes outstanding undergraduate scholarship.
Guided by top faculty members at the University of Southern California, papers selected for publication undergo a rigorous editing process by undergraduate students at USC to ensure that each paper is of the highest quality.
The Journal of Law and Society seeks to publish papers from a wide range of disciplines that reflect diverse viewpoints, and strives to promote greater awareness and understanding of the legal field.
Executive Board 2017-2018
Sariah Perera
Editor-in-Chief
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Minor: Legal Studies
Sariah Perera is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for Law and Society. She is currently a Senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies. She is also a PDP student, where she is pursuing a Master of Public Diplomacy. Outside of JLS, she is involved with the Trojan Review, the Society of Public Diplomats, and more! In her free time, she loves to travel, try new restaurants, and is a huge basketball fan. In the future, she hopes to go to law school and work in international humanitarian law.
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Peyton Talt
Director of Public Relations
Year: Senior
Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Law
Minor: Psychology and Law
Peyton Talt is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Law with a minor in Psychology and Law, and is pursuing departmental honors with a senior thesis on metaphysics. Peyton joined USC JLS in November 2023 as an Associate Editor and is currently the journal’s Director of Public Relations. Outside of JLS, she is a student worker for USC Athletics and is actively involved in the USC Sports Business Association, USC Panhellenic, and the Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Psi chapter. Her passion is everything sports and PR and she will be joining FGS Global as a Strategic Communications Associate following her graduation in May.
Rayeed Rahman
Director of Finance
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration and International Relations
Rayeed is a junior majoring in Business and International Relations. He serves as the Director of Finance for JLS and is also a member of the Trojan Debate Squad. He enjoys being part of JLS because it allows him to conduct research and explore new legal topics. Outside of academics, Rayeed is a fan of basketball, discovering new music, and spending time with friends.
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Jerry Li
Lead Editor
Year: Junior
Major: Public Policy and Philosophy
Jerry Li is the managing editor of JLS. He is a junior double majoring in public policy and philosophy. Besides JLS, he is the president of Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law fraternity. He is a research assistant at USC Price studying the relationship between homelessness and municipal crime-free housing policies. In his free time, Jerry plays and watches professional soccer and is a huge USC sports fan. You can catch him in Galen or just walking around campus looking at USC teams on ESPN.
Branden Claus
Lead Editor
Year: Junior
Major: Poltical Science
Braden Claus is a lead editor for the Journal of Law and Society and is majoring in Political Science. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and reading. A fun fact about Braden is that he has a rare condition that causes his hands to mirror each other—making activities like playing the piano a bit of a challenge (fortunately, he wasn’t born to be the next Mozart).
Alison Dundes Renteln
Faculty Advisor
Professor of Political Science, Anthropology, Public Policy, and Law
Professor Renteln studies international law, human rights, comparative legal systems, Constitutional law and legal and political theory. An expert on cultural rights, including the use of the "cultural defense" in the legal system, Professor Renteln has lectured to judicial organizations and law enforcement groups on this subject. She served on the State Bar Commission on Access to Justice and the California Judicial Council Access and Fairness Advisory Committee. She also served as a member of the California Attorney General's Commission Hate Crimes.
Luis Cacayoren
Director of Internal Affairs
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Minors: Marketing
My name is Luis Cacayoren, and I am the Director of Internal Affairs. I’m a political science major with a minor in marketing, currently am with the British Parliamentary Debate Squad and like to play and make music.
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Sabeeh Mirza
Lead Editor, Director of Submissions
Year: Junior
Major: Politcal Economy
Minor: Applied Analytics
Sabeeh is a second-year Political Economy major with a minor in Applied Analytics. Originally from Toronto, Sabeeh has also lived in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Florida. Sabeeh is a chair of Brotherhood for Kappa Alpha Pi, a pre-law fraternity, the President of USC Model UN, and a member of the Trojan Debate Squad. Sabeeh is also an extern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and an annotator for the USC SPEC Lab Everyday Respect Project. In his free time, Sabeeh loves to cook, thrift, and go hiking. He also loves making Spotify playlists and pretending that he doesn’t have super basic music taste.
Jennifer Baek
Lead Editor
Year: Sophmore
Major: Law, History, and Culture
Minor: Buisness Law
Jennifer Baek is a sophomore from Long Island, New York, majoring in Law, History, and Culture and minoring in Business Law. She currently serves as JLS' Secretary and as one of the Lead Editors. Outside of JLS, she is involved in the Blackstonians Pre-Law Honor Society, LACI (Los Angeles Community Impact), and the Daily Trojan. This summer, she will be working in Litigation at Sullivan & Cromwell and aims to attend law school one day to pursue M&A law.
Olivia Lei
Lead Editor
Year: Junior
Major: International Relations and Global Economy
Minor: Law and Technology
Olivia Lei is a driven and accomplished undergraduate student at the University of Southern California, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Global Economy with a minor in Law and Technology. Olivia’s interdisciplinary education equips her with a robust understanding of global political and economic systems, paired with a strong foundation in legal principles and technological innovation.
Associate Editors 2024-2025
Alexander Subias
Madi Ingrassia
Nye Davis
Abigail Rawlinson
Andrew Papazyan
Chad Beauchamp
Enasio Alston
Jessica Toliao
Rishab Rai
Julia Ho
Natalie Broshears
Aidan Snodgrass
Maddison Le
Christina You
Jaden Armond
Natalie Broshears
Angela Guan
Nathan Castillo
Jackson Mills
Damian Sanchez
Julian Gajewski
Anish Bhadani
Isabella Carrazco
Eleanor Xie
Sarah James
Executive Board 2024-2025
Join the Journal
The Journal of Law and Society recruits new Associate Editors for each school year in the fall semester. The application for Spring 2025 is now closed. Check back in Fall 2025 for new openings.
Applications for Associate Editors consist of a brief application, a one-page resume, and a two-page academic writing sample. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Please contact the Journal at uscjournal@gmail.com with any questions regarding applications.
Submissions
All undergraduate academics from any university, major, or program are invited to submit research papers of at least 10 double-spaced pages in length. Papers may have been completed for coursework, independent study, or written specifically for the Journal. We encourage students from a wide range of disciplines to submit their work. Papers should relate to an aspect of law and society in some manner, but need not have these topics as the central theme.
The USC Journal of Law and Society carefully considers all submissions that it receives on a rolling basis. Our selection process ensures that every paper is thoroughly and collaboratively reviewed, though papers submitted before the final deadline are given first consideration.
The submission period for the Spring 2025 Edition of the Journal of Law and Society is now closed. Please check back in Fall 2025 to submit a paper for the next edition.
*Please note that by submitting a paper, authors commit to working with the Journal’s staff to edit and prepare the paper for publication should the paper be selected. Contact the Journal at uscjournal@gmail.com with any questions.
Archive
Editor-in-Chief: Eric Bui
The Fall 2024 publication of the Journal welcomed Vanessa Nguyen as Editor-in-Chief. This Fall edition—the Journal’s first in over a decade—featured authors from Pomona College, Princeton University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and our very own University of Southern California. Their insights ranged from fashion to family law, terrorism, and criminal justice reform.
Authors: Jackson Ballantine & Evan Williams, Ava Peters, Priyanka Khanna, Liza Begum
Spring 2023 Edition
Editor-in-Chief: Vanessa Nguyen
The Spring 2023 publication of the Journal welcomed Vanessa Nguyen as Editor-in-Chief. This edition featured authors from various different undergraduate institutions, discussing topics ranging from the legalization of cannabis and its effects on mental health to the contentious debate on reproductive health.
Authors: Victor Zhang, Sabrina Kardashian, Anna Craver, Kathy Vuong Thach, Madison Gilbert
Spring 2022 Edition
Editor-in-Chief: Rachel Heil
The Spring 2022 publication of the Journal welcomed Rachel Heil as Editor-in-Chief. This edition featured authors from three different undergraduate institutions, discussing topics ranging from the effects of globalization on international surrogacy to the incorporation of new psychological frameworks into court cases on LGBTQ+ partner violence.
Authors: Julian Guo, Alex Kavaldjiev, Sophia Lyman, Claire Posno, Sofia Trifonopoulou
Spring 2021 Edition
Editor-in-Chief: Samantha Huang
The Spring 2021 publication of the Journal welcomed Samantha Huang as Editor-in-Chief. This edition featured authors from five different undergraduate institutions, discussing topics ranging from judicial independence in immigration courts to litigating discrimination cases for incarcerated transgender individuals.
Authors: Hannah E. Hallman, Chasia Elzina Jeffries, Miriham Antonio, Rianna Mukherjee, Seungmin (Helen) Lee, Liyu Woldemichael
Editor-in-Chief: Sebastian John Walter Young
The Spring 2020 publication of the Journal welcomed Sebastian John Walter Young as Editor-in-Chief. This edition included papers covering a variety of topics, ranging from discussions of reparations for Black Americans to the impacts of Institutional Review Boards on academic freedom.
Authors: Dezeray Cruz, Giulia Corno, Avi Bajpai, Sofia Tryfonopoulou, and Pauline Jacqueline Marie Crepy
Editor-in-Chief: Madeline Goossen
The Spring 2019 publication of the Journal welcomed Madeline Goossen back as Editor-in-Chief. This edition included papers written by students from universities across the United States and covered topics like issues of liability regarding California’s recent wildfires, the concept of laïcité in French culture, changing eminent domain laws in Florida, and regulations in the foie gras industry.
Authors: Norma Jazmin Gudiño Mendoza, Sarah Anne McKenzie, Jared Kelly, and Ryan Nhu
Editor-in-Chief: Madeline Goossen
The USC Journal of Law and Society welcomed Madeline Goossen as the Editor-in-Chief for the Spring 2018 issue. This edition highlighted papers written by students from universities across the country and dealt with topics like human rights in rural Pakistan, the constitutionality of sex offender registrations, and future of content filtering by governments in regards to freedom of expression.
Authors: Belal Jonaid, Laura Russell, Dale MacLean, Ariana Arzani, and Emily Miller
Editor-in-Chief: Kyra Schoonover
Under the direction of new Editor-in-Chief Kyra Schoonover, the USC Journal of Law and Society publishes its ninth volume, containing papers written by students at four different undergraduate institutions. This issue is one of the most diverse yet, with papers covering US foreign policy, second amendment rights, the legal status of professional sports leagues, international torture law, and the intersection of technology and law in the future.
Authors: Faith Stewart, Zoe Young, Rex Alley, Daniel Shepard, and Matthew Goldstein
Editor in Chief: Micaela Rodgers
The Spring 2016 issue welcomed back Micaela Rodgers as Editor-in-Chief for the eight edition of the Journal of Law and Society. The Journal published works on topics like water sustainability in California, political protests in Peru, and the realities of US drone strikes.
Authors: Laura Reilly, Maral Tavitian, Megan Zagorski, Sasha Hondagneu-Messner, and Trevor Kehrer
Editor-in-Chief: Micaela Rodgers
With the Spring 2015 edition, the Journal welcomed Micaela Rodgers as Editor-in-Chief and Ryan Walkenhorst as Managing Editor. This issue published papers from students across the country on topics such as campaign finance, the Affordable Care Act, torture in international law, and military drones for targeted killing.
Authors: Andrew Abell, Bailee Ahern, Shayna Cooperman, John Donnelly, Victoria Morgan, Roya Imani & Tomaz Stojnik, and Joseph Noreña
Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Lockridge
Andrew Lockridge led the Fall 2014 edition in publishing several extended papers for this edition, including an honor's thesis. Collectively, they represented topics on copyright law in the music industry, the legality of public school prayer, and gender equality in the public sector.
Authors: Cameron Langford, Lincoln Richards, Marissa Marandola, Ziandra Bauer, Ryan Walkenhorst, and Katherine Wilcox
Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Lockridge
Andrew Lockridge continued as Editor-in-Chief for the Spring 2014 edition. With topics covering crimes against humanities, unilateral military force in the 21st century, immigration, and the war on terror, this journal provides original and insightful political thought across fields.
Authors: Graham Stinnett, Lindsey Ware, Dylan Markovic, Shannon Weiwei Zhang, and Déborah Cápiro
Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Lockridge
The Fall 2013 issue welcomed back Andrew Lockridge for the sixth edition of the Journal of Law and Society. Papers in this journal highlighted topics like the role of self- determination in the Arab Spring, juvenile sentencing for murder, the effects of cartels on democracy in Mexico, and LGBTQ mobilization against hate crimes.
Authors: Raul Beke, John Treat, Jack Merritt, Jackson Nye, Rachel Brown, and Mariam Azhar
Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Lockridge
New Editor-in-Chief Andrew Lockridge led the publication of the Spring 2013 edition of the Journal. Papers from this issue focused on topics such as air pollution, the National Planning Commission in South Africa, food and water management in China, and access to essential medicines in developing regions.
Authors: Joshua Christopher Hwang, Ross Ha, Stefanie Schwemlein, Alice Hall-Partyka, Sylvia Fogarty-Phipps, and Sasha Parameswaran
Editor-in-Chief: Alexander Fullman
With the Fall 2012 edition, the Journal welcomed Alexander Fullman back as Editor-in-Chief and published works from eight undergraduate authors. These papers cover topics like the rising importance of social media for presidents, the expansion of presidential power through executive legislation, and the history of female elected officials.
Authors: Marissa Roy, Linus Marco, Zach Drennen, Megan Covington, Dylan Kornbluth, Michael Brandon, Rachel Landry, and Sara Worth
Editor-in-Chief: Alexander Fullman
The Spring 2012 edition of the Journal welcomed Alexander Fullman as Editor-in-Chief and published works from six undergraduate authors, covering topics such as a global mandated choice organ procurement program and the California DREAM Act.
Authors: Susan Estrich, Meghan McCormick, Pantea Faed, Alexander Fullman, Barbara Solish, Pedro Ramirez
Editor-in-Chief: Bo Ren
Led by Bo Ren, the Spring 2009 edition of the Journal published works by three authors, dealing with gender inequity in sports, the portrayal of sex on the internet through the lens of civil liberties, the possibility of forming a city of refuge.
Authors: Katherine Hutchinson, Vladimir Medenica, and Victoria Ko
Editor-in-Chief: Victoria Ko
Led by Editor-in-Chief Victoria Ko, the Spring 2008 edition of the Journal features works by two authors on the topics of the politicization of science and privacy in the War on Terror.
Authors: Colin D. Koproske, Alexander Frank
Editor-in-Chief: Victoria Ko
Under Editor-in-Chief Victoria Ko, the Fall 2007 edition of the Journal published works by four authors on topics such as Makah whaling and Guantanamo Bay.
Authors: Jeanie Paik, Shahin Berenji, Kent Wakuta, Michael K. Grimaldi
Editor-in-Chief: Steve K. Choi
Led by Editor-in-Chief Steve K. Choi, the Spring 2005 edition of the Journal published works by two authors, focused on treatment programs for adolescents in correctional and detention facilities and retroactivity of the FSIA in Austria v. Altmann.
Authors: Brenda M. Bower, Nathan Go
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USC Journal of Law and Society
University of Southern California
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