[1][2] In 1977, Harvard Law Students Spencer Abraham and Stephen Eberhard established the journal as a conservative and libertarian alternative against liberal publications on campus.

It published the proceedings at the 1982 Yale Law School conference which would found the Federalist Society, and the journal became the organization's official publication.

Because of the lack of restrictions from the strict print publication schedule of the physical journal, the online portion allows for commentary on current and pressing issues.

[6][7][8] Notable alumni include Neil Gorsuch, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Alexander Acosta, Mike Pompeo, David Barron, Rachel Brand, Ron DeSantis, Jennifer Walker Elrod, John K. Bush, Joseph D. Kearney, Kevin Newsom, Gregory G. Katsas, Adrian Vermeule, Orin Kerr, Sarah Isgur, and David Frum.

Past authors have included George H. W. Bush, Guido Calabresi, Ted Cruz, Viet D. Dinh, Frank H. Easterbrook, Richard Garnett, Robert P. George, Douglas H. Ginsburg, Lino Graglia, Alex Kozinski, George L. Priest, William H. Pryor Jr., Neomi Rao, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Eugene Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Ron Paul, and John Yoo.