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| Corpus Juris Secundum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Corpus Juris Secundum |
| Author | American Law Reports editors |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Law |
| Genre | Legal encyclopedia |
| Publisher | West Publishing Company |
| Pub date | 1936–present |
Corpus Juris Secundum is a comprehensive legal encyclopedia published in the United States that summarizes the current state of American common law and statutes and provides citations to primary and secondary authorities. It serves as a research starting point for practitioners, judges, scholars, and students seeking summaries of case law and statutory interpretation across a wide range of topics. The work is frequently cited in decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, state supreme courts such as the Supreme Court of California and the New York Court of Appeals, and in secondary sources like the Restatement (Second) of Torts and the American Law Reports.
The encyclopedia covers subjects from Admiralty law to Zoning and includes topical entries on doctrines invoked in cases involving the Federal Reserve System, Antitrust law disputes adjudicated by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and regulatory issues under the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each headnote typically cites decisions from federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and state courts such as the Texas Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court. It intersects with treatises like Prosser and Keeton on Torts and reference works such as Black's Law Dictionary and is used alongside citation services like Westlaw.
Conceived as a successor to earlier compilations like the Corpus Juris Civilis, the project was developed in the early 20th century by editors associated with the West Publishing Company. Its initial volumes were issued amid legal ferment that involved institutions like the American Bar Association and academic centers such as Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Over decades the encyclopedia reflected jurisprudential shifts following landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and statutory enactments like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prompting updates to entries on constitutional law matters heard by the United States Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit.
Arranged alphabetically, entries range from short definitions to multi-volume treatments of complex topics including doctrine relevant to the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Trade Commission, and Environmental Protection Agency litigation. Coverage includes civil procedure rules applied in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, criminal law principles considered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and family law issues decided by courts such as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Entries cite primary authorities including opinions from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom where persuasive, statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and secondary works such as Moore's Federal Practice.
Editorial oversight has involved practitioners and scholars connected to institutions like the University of Chicago Law School, the Columbia Law School, and professional associations including the Association of American Law Schools. Contributors have included former clerks of the United States Supreme Court, professors who taught at Stanford Law School and Georgetown University Law Center, and attorneys from firms arguing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The editorial process incorporates citation verification akin to standards used by publishers like Oxford University Press and peer review practices found at journals such as the Harvard Law Review.
While not binding, the encyclopedia is frequently cited by trial courts including the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and appellate courts including the California Court of Appeal for its synthesis of authority on topics ranging from Bankruptcy to Intellectual property disputes adjudicated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Lawyers preparing briefs for the Supreme Court of the United States and state high courts often use it to locate leading cases and secondary sources like the Restatement (Third) of Agency. Legislative drafters and administrative agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission have consulted its analyses when addressing regulatory interpretations.
Scholars at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania Law School and critics writing in periodicals like the American Bar Association Journal have praised its breadth while noting limitations compared to specialized treatises like Wright & Miller on Federal Practice and Procedure and empirical projects at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Criticisms include concerns about timeliness in fast-moving fields like Internet law and reliance on decisions from lower courts such as those in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, prompting some practitioners to supplement it with resources from LexisNexis and recent law review articles from journals like the Yale Law Journal.
Published in print and on electronic platforms, the work has multiple updated editions and pocket parts maintained by publishers like Thomson Reuters and distributed to law libraries at institutions such as the New York University School of Law Library and the Library of Congress. Digital access is offered through subscription services competing with WestlawNext and integrated into research suites used by clerks at the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and attorneys in firms with offices in jurisdictions from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, California. Various editions reflect updates in response to decisions by the United States Supreme Court and legislative reforms enacted by the United States Congress.
Category:Legal encyclopedias