Second-year Harvard Law School student and government Ph.D. candidate Jonathan S. Gould ’10 has been elected the 129th president of the Harvard Law Review, a student-run legal journal independent from the Law School. Gould succeeds third-year law student Rachel G. Miller-Ziegler.

Gould hails from Newton, Mass. and studied Social Studies at Harvard as an undergraduate. The Law School posted an announcement of the election on Tuesday night.

Both Gould and Miller-Ziegler expressed optimism for the future of the law journal in statements on the Law School website.

“The Law Review is exceptionally fortunate to have Jon as its president,” Miller-Ziegler said in the statement. “Jon’s formidable intellect, infectious love for the law, and incomparable work ethic earned the deep respect of his peers, and his kindness and generosity have made him an admired member of the Law Review community. Jon will make an outstanding president, and I look forward to watching him lead the Review in the year ahead.”

For his part, Gould said he looked forward to a year at the helm of the organization and expressed gratitude for his predecessor’s leadership.

“Rachel has been a phenomenal leader,” Gould said. “Her brilliant legal mind, natural leadership qualities, and tireless dedication to the Law Review have inspired all of us. The Law Review is a better journal and stronger community for her leadership. Together with all of our editors, I look forward to continuing the Law Review’s tradition of excellence in legal scholarship in the coming year.”

Past editors of Harvard Law Review include U.S. President Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the organization, and a number of sitting Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. ’76.

A student-run organization, some have criticized the role young law school students play in shaping the discourse of legal scholarship. In recent years, the Law Review has focused on its online presence, doubling the number of online editors.  

Both Miller-Ziegler and Gould were not available for comment by press time.

—Staff writer Andrew M. Duehren can be reached at andy.duehren@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @aduehren.