New Jersey has a rich constitutional history, starting with a hastily created 9 page document on July 2, 1776. Since then, New Jersey has drastically changed its governmental operations through 2 more constitutions in 1844 and 1947. With these new constitutions, the role of government in New Jersey is more clearly defined as well as our rights as citizens of the state. Please join us as Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, Distinguished Professor of Law Robert F. Williams and Judge Nelson Johnson discuss New Jersey's history in the context of our three unique constitutions.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner is the eighth chief justice to lead the New Jersey Supreme Court since the 1947 state constitution and is the longest serving chief justice in New Jersey history. He was nominated to the Supreme Court on June 29, 2007, but began his career as an assistant U.S. attorney. 

Robert F. Williams is a Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus at Rutgers Law School and cofounder of the Center for State Constitutional Studies. He is the author of The Law of American State Constitutions and coauthor of The New Jersey State Constitution, a comprehensive history of the state’s constitution, along with numerous other works on independent state constitutional rights.

Judge Nelson Johnson is the author of numerous books, including Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City; Darrow’s Nightmare: The Forgotten Story of America’s Most Famous Trial Lawyer; and Battleground New Jersey: Vanderbilt, Hague and their Fight for Justice, a history of the political battle that lead to the adoption of the 1947 New Jersey Constitution. Judge Johnson served in the civil division of the New Jersey Superior Court from 2006 to 2018.