A Foreword for the Centennial

We would like to imagine that our predecessors have felt a special attachment to each issue of Texas Law Review, whether because of a specific piece or simply from the relief of sending a polished product to press. But this issue is particularly special, to editors past and present. It celebrates a milestone: the first one hundred years of Texas Law Review.

In 1922, Dean John Charles Townes and Professor Leon Green successfully organized this journal. Since then, law students at The University of Texas have dedicated their second and third years to editing and producing scholarship that shapes conversations among professors and practitioners in Texas and beyond. To mark this history, distinguished Texas Law Review alumni open this issue by surveying the journal’s most impactful pieces. The Honorable Gregg Costa, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Volume 77 Editor in Chief, examines the influence of Texas Law Review articles in judicial opinions. Professor John S. Dzienkowski, Dean John F. Sutton, Jr. Chair in Lawyering and the Legal Process at the University of Texas School of Law, and Volume 61 Editor in Chief, then studies the academic impact of the Review’s most cited works.

But before looking back, we must recognize the many invaluable contributions to Texas Law Review’s centennial celebration. First and foremost, Scott Atlas, former president and current ex-officio director of the Texas Law Review Association (TLRA), has played an instrumental role in planning the Centennial Year Banquet. His commitment and institutional knowledge are the backbone of the TLRA and have improved Texas Law Review and the quality of life for all of its members. We are grateful to Scott for his dedication to the Review. We also thank the current officers and directors of the TLRA for their efforts planning and coordinating the Centennial Year Banquet, especially during the uncertainty of COVID-19. Additionally, the Review has benefitted from the active engagement of its alumni. More than 335 alumni from more than sixty volumes have helped plan the Centennial Year Banquet, serving on the Outreach Committee and encouraging fellow members to join the festivities. Finally, we appreciate our firm and individual sponsors, whose generosity has made our anniversary celebrations a reality. In any year, planning a large-scale event is challenging; the pandemic has only amplified those challenges. We thank all who have made the Centennial Year Banquet possible.

We would be remiss if we did not thank two other people who ensure that the journal maintains its high standards from year to year: Teri Gaus and Paul Goldman. As the Texas Law Review’s Editorial Assistant for the past twelve years, Teri proofreads every piece we publish, ensuring that each is in pristine condition and that our editorial conventions are adhered to from year to year. Not to mention, she keeps all the editors on the Review well-caffeinated. Likewise, Paul, who is our publications manager, ensures that our hard work is not put to waste by supporting the sales and administration of our journal. Our appreciation for Teri and Paul runs deep, and we want to recognize the hard work that both they and their predecessors have given to our beloved journal.

While the special number of our Volume is something of an accident (or at least the good timing of our matriculation at law school), our Editorial Board, Associate Editors, and New Members have taken seriously the responsibility of publishing Volume 100 of Texas Law Review. We have selected pieces that we believe honor the publication’s reputation for impactful scholarship while advancing its mission into a second century. Our hope is that the Review’s strong foundation, established by the hard work of decades of Texas Law students and supported by the continued involvement of its alumni, will allow it to thrive over the next one-hundred years. And, in the meantime, we look forward to welcoming alumni and friends to Austin, both to celebrate one-hundred years of Texas Law Review and to renew fellowship with judges, faculty, attorneys, and current and former Review members.