In 1947, New Jersey created the foundation for its nationally acclaimed court system by drafting a completely new constitution during a dramatic summer convention at Rutgers University. In an instant, what had been one of the most convoluted and user-unfriendly legal networks in the country was transformed into a model of reform and accessibility.
Indeed, until that moment, the whole feel of state government seemed out of sync by a century. That’s because Trenton was still functioning under a constitution enacted in 1844 with laws and practices wedded to English customs and colonial sensibilities. But through the elegant orchestration of freshman Governor Alfred Driscoll and a relatively bipartisan cast of legislators and officials, New Jersey was catapulted into a postwar governance more in keeping with its urban character and metropolitan region identity.
