Legal Research

Hey 1Ls: What is Corpus Juris Secundum?

By Mariko

CJS is a multi-volume national legal encyclopedia covering state and federal legal topics.  General rules of law are summarized in “Black Letter” headings and expanded upon in the text.

Even though CJS is not a primary legal source, it has been cited over 90,000 times by all levels of US courts.

Why would I use CJS?
CJS is a research tool that is used to begin your research- especially if it is an unfamiliar area of law or if you need a refresher.

How is CJS organized?
CJS is organized by Topic of Law. Within each topic you will find a list of titles available in CJS.  Each topic has:  

• A summary or general table of contents, it will then narrow down to a detailed table of contents
• The first part of each section will give you a scope or overview of that section. The overview may contain cross references and other topics you may want to look at.
• From there each section of that topic will contain a black letter summary - an overview of the rule of law (this will appear in bold lettering).
• Then you will get a detailed overview, explaining the precedent and rationale for that law. It will cite to cases, statutes and definitions of the law. You will also get a research reference section that will refer you to other publications, such as, topic and key numbers, ALR, AMJUR and other publications.

CJS also includes:

• The Table of laws and rules.
• Correlation Table- if you have an earlier citation to the CJS this table will give you the corresponding current citation, or let you know if the section was deleted.
• Index for that Subject
• Pocket part for updating

And finally, at the end of the hard bound topic books you will find several soft cover books that contain:

• The general index for all subjects of the law (and a general index update).
• A general table of laws and rules- this will show you were federal statutes, rules, regulations and uniform laws (including the restatements) are cited in the CJS - to help you find CJS articles discussing the statutes, rules and regulations.
• A Table of Cases - this is used when you have a case name or citation and would like to find a CJS article that discusses this case - in which you may find references to other cases, statutes and regulations.

How do I use the CJS?
It is helpful to start with the general index- this will lead you to the specific topics.  You can also start by identifying your topic and going straight to that book.  From there you will browse through the general and detailed index for that topic to find the black letter law that you are looking for.   Make sure that you update your section with the pocket parts.Where can I find the CJS?
In the ASU law library and on Westlaw. 

Full post as published by Ross-Blakley Law Library Blog on August 16, 2010 (boomark / email).