New Dimensions in Legislation was the precursor publication to the Journal of Legislation. New Dimensions was published by Notre Dame Law School students who were members of the law school's Legislative Bureau from 1971 to 1972 without official sanction from the law school. At the time, Dean William Lawless did not support the publication of law school–affiliated student law reviews other than the Notre Dame Law Lawyer (which later renamed the Notre Dame Law Review). In spite of the law school's disapproval, the name "New Dimensions in Legislation" was chosen so that the journal's name could be abbreviated as "N.D. J. Legis." in citations and the (unofficial) connection between the University of Notre Dame and the journal might be assumed.

New Dimensions in Legislation ceased publication in 1972, but student members of the Legislative Bureau resumed publication of a legislative law review two years later under a new name. The new publication was called the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation for its first two volumes in 1974 and 1975 and the Journal of Legislation thereafter. For more information about the history of New Dimensions in Legislation and the the Journal of Legislation, see Brian Haynes Holt, Special 25th Anniversary: The History of the Journal of Legislation, 25 J. Legis. 105 (1999) .