LibGuides: Legal Research: Finding Legal Resources

Finding Primary Sources

Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law)
Use this free site to find the U.S. Code, C.F.R., State Laws, U.C.C. and more.

Finding Case Law

Of the hundreds of cases decided daily, only a small portion are "published." Those that are published become the common law, with the case binding on the lower courts (precedent). The case will be given an official citation in the reporter system. In NJ, the Supreme Court decisions are published and are binding on other NJ courts.

Google Scholar - Find NJ case law from 1950 to present as federal court cases since 1923.

Reference Books

Dictionary of Law
Provides clear, concise and fully up-to-date information on all aspects of civil, criminal and commercial law. Examples and encyclopedic comments help to explain complex terms from British, European and US legal procedure.

Black's Law Dictionary by Bryan A. Garner (Editor)
ISBN: 0314228640
Publication Date: 1999-08-01
Since Black's Law Dictionary is revised on average only once each decade, the publication of a new edition is a major event. The strong reputation that Black's has attained over the past 108 years positions it as ''the quintessential legal reference tool'' for the 21st century.oThe 7th edit
The Bluebook by Harvard Law Review Association (Compiled by); Columbia Law Review (Compiled by); University of Pennsylvania Law Review (Compiled by); The Yake Law Journal (Compiled by)
ISBN: 9780578666150
Publication Date: 2020-05-20
A Uniform System of Citation: The Bluebook is the definitive style guide for legal citation in the United States. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on The Bluebook's uniform system of citation in their writing. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, The Bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon which they rely in their work.