Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS;Latin for 'Second Body of the Law')[1] is anencyclopedia ofUnited States law at the federal and state levels. It is arranged alphabetically, into over 430 topics, which in turn are arranged into subheadings. As of 2010[update],CJS consisted of 164 bound volumes, five index volumes and 11 table of cases volumes.[2]
CJS is named after the 6th centuryCorpus Juris Civilis of theByzantine EmperorJustinian I, the firstcodification ofRoman law andcivil law. The nameCorpus Juris literally means 'body of the law';Secundum denotes the second edition of the encyclopedia, which was originally issued asCorpus Juris by the American Law Book Company (from 1914 to 1937).[2]CJS is published byWest in print form and onWestlaw. The print edition is updated annually with pocket supplements and revised editions of bound volumes. Before Thomson's acquisition of West,CJS competed against theAmerican Jurisprudence legal encyclopedia.[2]
While legal encyclopedias likeCJS were at one time heavily used by the courts, the growth of statutory and regulatory governance has eroded this reliance. As such, rather than being used as sources of authoritative statements of law, legal encyclopedias are now more often used as tools for finding relevant case law.[2]
Volumes 82, 97, and 98 ofCorpus Juris Secundum appeared behind the closing credits of thePerry Mason television series. Throughout the series, approximately twenty volumes can be seen on the shelf behind Mason's desk.
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