The College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law has a long and vigorous tradition of research and education in constitutional law, befitting its historic roots as the nation's oldest law school. Founded in 1789 in Virginia's colonial capital of Williamsburg, the law school held its first classes within a year of the seminal period when Virginia statesmen drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the precursor to the Bill of Rights.
In 1982, the Institute of Bill of Rights Law (IBRL) was established at the Law School to support research and education concerning the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The programs and publications of the Institute are designed to enrich the educational experience of law students at William and Mary, broaden public knowledge, promote scholarly research, and facilitate creative public policy solutions to conflicts involving constitutional issues.
In the spring of 1992, the goals of IBRL were furthered with the first publication of the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. The Journal is a student-run publication addressing constitutional issues with a focus on civil and individual liberties. The Journal expanded the original vision of its predecessor, the Colonial Lawyer, from a Virginia-focused law journal to a law journal of international scope.