New Jersey Legal Research Resources

Often when people need to do legal research, they are intimidated, unsure of where to start, and struggle finding information that is current and known to be from a trusted source.

Written by H. Husted
Published on January 3, 2023

The NJ State Library Law Library has a large, curated collection of legal resources that are available to visitors. Below is a review of some of the most commonly used legal research resources at the law library, and some alternatives you can use when you can’t get to the library.

Where to Start?

If you have no idea where to start your research, The New Jersey Legal Research Handbook by Paul Axel-Lute is my recommendation.

This book provides an overview of the sources of law, legal citations, case law, and reviews many resources on how to do legal research.  While there is some information relating to Federal Laws and international law, the primary focus is on New Jersey laws and resources.

The language is clear and concise, making this resource accessible to both experienced legal researchers and those just starting out.  Both primary and secondary resources are covered.  In addition to explaining what the resources are and how they are used, it tells you where to find these publications.  The appendices include addresses and contact information for publishers, libraries, courts, and organizations.  There is even an appendix covering legal abbreviations used in NJ—invaluable when you are looking at a citation, search results, or court documents.

New Jersey Statutes and NJ Administrative Code

There are many sources of “law” in New Jersey.  The NJ Statutes are the laws created by the legislature, while the NJ Administrative Code are the regulations set forth by specialized agencies of the government such as the Department of Health or Department of Environmental Protection.  While free, full-text databases for both can be found online[i], here at the Library, we have books and databases that can provide you with additional information and context regarding the history and implementation of these laws.

The New Jersey Statutes Annotated set of books published by West provide the full-text of the law and much more. The annotations include the history of the law, related cases, and things like committee statements and notes on state and federal decisions related to the statute.  A list of resources for finding additional information is often provided.  The set includes a general index and a popular name table to help you find the statutes quickly.  These books are updated regularly to reflect the most recent information available.

The New Jersey Administrative Code books are published by Lexis.  Included in these volumes are extensive history and notes for each chapter and citation, as well as amendment notes and case notes prepared by the Lexis editors in conjunction with the NJ Office of Administrative Law.  These volumes are updated twice monthly to ensure the most up to date information is included.

In addition to print materials, the Lexis Plus electronic database is available to the public while in the library.  This powerful tool allows you to easily search the statutes or administrative code using citations or key words.  There are annotations, case law materials, and additional historic information.  There are hot links to additional and related information, all of which can be easily printed, saved to a flash drive, or emailed to yourself for use when not at the library.

If you are unable to make it to the library but have a specific law or regulation you are interested in, contact us at with your citation and we will email you the Lexis Plus report.

The library also has books covering specific statutes and regulations in-depth.  For example, the New Jersey Drunk Driving Law by Robert Ramsey provides detailed coverage and discussion all current NJ Laws and Regulations related to Drunk Driving, as well as discussion of the cases that have impacted the interpretation of these laws and regulations.  There are similar titles covering family law, real estate, civil service, education law, and land as well as many other topics.

Navigating the Courts

The NJ Courts have an excellent website that includes a self-help section where you can find information on how the courts operate, resources, and some forms.  However, these resources are often limited in scope.  For example, while you can access and search the Rules of the Court, the information is only the full-text of the rules.  If you want to learn about the history, implementation, cases related to the rules, or place the rule in context, you will need to access additional resources.  Here at State Library, we have those resources.

Resources such as the New Jersey Practice Series and the New Jersey Pleading and Practice Forms provide you with context, commentary, related case information, and templates for creating the legal documents needed in court.  We have books that provide comments and annotations to the Rules of the Court, Attorney Ethics, and the Rules of Evidence.

Public Access to Lexis Plus allows users to access secondary sources such a law journals and practice guides covering topics such as employment litigation, estate planning, real estate, civil litigation, and insurance.  This powerful tool allows you to email your results to yourself, download documents in PDF form, or print out information.

Case Law Research

Case law is the laws developed from judicial decisions.  Decisions are published in print publications called “reporters”, which are available at the library.  Digests published by West are available and are used to find cases by topic or subject.  In addition, on-site at the library, the Lexis Plus database is available for public use.  Using this electronic resource makes short-work of doing case-law research.  You can search for cases using key words, or find links to specific cases embedded in the annotations of the statutes or regulations.  Once you find a case, links and commentary help you to identify additional cases that may be related to your research.

If you are unable to make it to the library, you can use Google Scholar  to search for cases using key words.  When you click on the case law button under the search box, you can limit your searches to New Jersey or Federal Courts.  The Library of Congress has a terrific tutorial for using Google Scholar.  If you find a case you are interested in and want additional information, contact us with your citation and we can email you the Lexis Plus report.

Legal Research at the State Library

These are but a few of the legal research tools available on-site at the New Jersey State Library.  Our extensive collection of legal materials focused on New Jersey are available to anyone visiting our library.  In addition to these resources, the librarians on staff can help you to select a resource, teach you how to use these resources, and how to craft your research strategy.  If you are unable to visit the library, our librarians are still available to help.  Simply send us an email.  We look forward to helping you!

[i] An up to date, searchable database of the New Jersey Statutes can be found on the NJ Legislature’s website. The full-text of the NJ Administrative Code, hosted by Lexis, is also available.