Guide
New Jersey Table of Citations: Formal and Letter Briefs
On this page5 sections
A New Jersey formal appellate brief needs a table of citations; a letter brief under R. 2:6-2(b) does not. Rule 2:6-2(a)(3) calls for cases listed alphabetically, statutes and rules, and other authorities. In an appellant's formal brief, it follows the table of judgments, orders and rulings being appealed—not directly after the table of contents. Rule 2:6-7 excludes the tables of contents and citations from its page limits. The New Jersey preset in the table of authorities generator uses the TABLE OF CITATIONS heading.
| Question | Rule or practical distinction | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Formal appellant's brief? | Include a table of citations, subject to the rule's stated exceptions for other authorized forms of submission. | R. 2:6-2(a)(3) |
| Letter brief? | The table of citations is not required. The letter brief must still contain the sections incorporated by paragraph (b). | R. 2:6-2(b); Judiciary brief checklist |
| What belongs in the table? | Cases, alphabetically arranged; statutes and rules; other authorities cited in the brief. | R. 2:6-2(a)(3) |
| Where does it go in a formal appellant's brief? | After the table of judgments, orders and rulings being appealed and before the procedural history. | R. 2:6-2(a), required order |
| Does the table count toward the page limit? | No. R. 2:6-7 expressly excludes the tables of contents and citations. | R. 2:6-7 |
| Which reporter for New Jersey cases? | Use the official New Jersey reports when officially reported; the rule separately addresses cases not officially reported. | R. 2:6-2(a)(6) |
| Are brief-page references or passim specified in the table provision? | The text of (a)(3) does not expressly address them. Explicit brief-page references are a useful indexing practice, not additional quoted language from that paragraph. | R. 2:6-2(a)(3) |
| Does this cover trial-court motion briefs? | No. This guide addresses the appellate brief rules; do not apply the formal-versus-letter distinction to every trial-court submission. | Part II appellate rules |
Formal brief or letter brief: choose the correct requirement
Rule 2:6-2(a) sets out the formal appellant's brief. Its front matter includes three distinct tables: the table of contents, the table of judgments, orders and rulings being appealed, and the table of citations. The citations table indexes legal authorities; the judgments table identifies locations in the record. Neither replaces the other. The formal-brief rule also recognizes separate provisions for a statement in lieu of brief and sentencing appeals.
Rule 2:6-2(b) permits a letter brief in lieu of a formal brief, except as otherwise provided by the sentencing-appeal rule, R. 2:9-11. It incorporates subparagraphs (a)(1), (2), (4), (5) and (6), but not the citations-table requirement in (a)(3). The Judiciary's brief checklist likewise identifies the table of citations as not required in a letter brief. That is a specific exception for the authorized letter-brief form—not a general exception for a short formal brief.
What a letter brief still needs
- A table of contents with the required point headings and record-location or not-raised-below information.
- The table of judgments, orders and rulings being appealed required by (a)(2).
- A concise procedural history and material facts supported by the required appendix and transcript references.
- Legal argument under appropriate point headings, with the required citations and issue-preservation notations.
- Compliance with the 20-page letter-brief limit and the applicable formatting rules. A letter brief is not simply an informal letter to the court.
R. 2:6-7 page limits and the table exclusion
| Brief | Limit | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Initial brief | 50 pages | R. 2:6-7 |
| Reply brief | 15 pages | R. 2:6-7 |
| Respondent/cross-appellant brief under R. 2:6-2(d) | 75 pages | R. 2:6-7 |
| Appellant/cross-respondent brief under R. 2:6-4(e) | 50 pages | R. 2:6-7 |
| Letter brief | 20 pages | R. 2:6-2(b) |
Rule 2:6-7 says its page limitations are exclusive of tables of contents and citations. The Judiciary's checklist also describes the letter-brief limit as excluding those tables. Do not extend that exclusion to every preliminary section merely because it appears before the argument: the rule specifically names two tables. Citations within the argument do not become uncounted simply because they also appear in the table.
An older New Jersey brief template may show a 65-page initial-brief limit or a 20-page reply limit. Those are not the 50-page and 15-page limits in the R. 2:6-7 text checked for this guide, which reflects the amendment effective September 1, 2022. The rule permits a motion to relax the page limit for a party's first brief on a showing of good cause, with a certification of good faith and no purpose of delay. Do not treat an overlength table export as permission to exceed the limit for the brief itself; check the current rule and any order governing your appeal.
Illustrative New Jersey table of citations
This example fits a hypothetical civil appeal discussing summary judgment. The cases and rule are real; all brief-page references are invented. It is a formatting illustration, not a filed brief or a recommendation to cite these authorities. It omits statutes and other authorities because none are assumed in this short example—do not add empty categories or authorities your brief does not cite.
Table of Authorities
| Authority | Page(s) of brief |
|---|---|
| Cases | |
| Brill v. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, 142 N.J. 520 (1995) | 8–10, 14 |
| Henry v. New Jersey Department of Human Services, 204 N.J. 320 (2010) | 8, 12 |
| Rules | |
| R. 4:46-2(c) | 7–10, 14 |
The cases are alphabetized by case name. The numbers 520 and 320 are reporter pages, not locators within the brief. If the argument cites “Brill, 142 N.J. at 540” on brief page 14, that occurrence belongs in the Brill entry's page list; it is not a new authority named “Brill at 540.” Likewise, an appendix citation beside that sentence is not another page on which the brief cites Brill.
Rule 2:6-2(a)(6) calls for New Jersey decisions to be cited to the official New Jersey reports by volume number when officially reported. For Supreme Court of New Jersey decisions in those reports, the rule calls for the year alone in the parenthetical; it generally calls for court and year in case citations. A citation recorded in the table should agree with the citation actually used in the brief. Choosing the New Jersey preset does not automatically convert Atlantic Reporter citations into official-report citations or correct a defective citation in the body.
From a New Jersey brief PDF to the finished Word table
- Confirm the brief type and front matter. Determine whether you are filing a formal brief or an authorized letter brief. For a formal appellant's brief, retain the separate table of judgments, orders and rulings; the authorities generator does not create that record-location table.
- Export the paginated brief to PDF. Use the version you intend to file, with the current text and page labels. Save the matching Word file if you want the finished citations table inserted into the brief rather than downloaded as a separate .docx.
- Open the app and select New Jersey. Add the PDF, or the .docx and matching text-based PDF together. The preset supplies table settings, not a complete appellate formatting review. It does not guarantee PDF bookmarks, correct record references or automatic citation restyling.
- Review the citations and their pages. Check case names, official reporters, years and short forms against the PDF preview. Merge duplicate versions of the same case. Review Id. references in context; add missing statutes, rules and other authorities. Exclude appendix and transcript references from the authorities list.
- Export and place the table correctly. Download the finished .docx table, or choose “Insert the finished table into my Word file” when using Word plus PDF. Inspect the returned document: in a formal appellant's brief the citations table belongs after the table of judgments, orders and rulings. If automatic placement puts it immediately after the contents, move it to the required position. Confirm the TABLE OF CITATIONS heading and alphabetical cases.
- Re-export the completed brief to PDF. The new table or its placement can move pages. Compare the table's references with printed brief-page numbers in the newly exported PDF, not just the PDF viewer's sequence. If references moved, regenerate and recheck. Review the applicable page limit and the remaining filing requirements separately.
The PDF route produces a finished Word table without requiring Word for Windows. The Word-plus-text-PDF route inserts a finished table as normal text. By contrast, .docx-only processing adds Word TA fields and a TOA field for Word for Windows to build and update. For a Mac workflow, use one of the finished-table routes. A scanned PDF can use on-device OCR on the PDF-only route; scanned PDFs are not supported as the PDF companion in Word-plus-PDF mode. Every route still requires citation and page review.
New Jersey errors a generic template can hide
- Putting the citations table directly after the contents. That skips the formal appellant's separate table of judgments, orders and rulings in the order prescribed by R. 2:6-2(a).
- Treating the two tables as interchangeable. The judgments table locates the decisions under review in the record. The citations table indexes legal authorities cited in the brief. A generator for the latter does not supply the former.
- Omitting a table solely because a formal brief is under 20 pages. The exception follows the letter-brief form under paragraph (b), not length alone.
- Assuming a letter brief needs no structured front matter. Paragraph (b) still incorporates the contents and judgments tables, as well as the required procedural history, facts and argument.
- Using an old 65-page template. Check the current R. 2:6-7 limits instead of trusting a prior appeal's cover sheet or checklist.
- Leaving duplicate official and regional citations as separate cases. Confirm they identify the same decision before merging; preserve the proper complete citation and all relevant brief pages.
- Exporting once and trusting the old page list. Table insertion, movement or later editing can change pagination. Recheck the completed filing PDF.
Frequently asked
Does a New Jersey letter brief require a table of citations?
No. R. 2:6-2(b) incorporates the formal-brief requirements in subparagraphs (a)(1), (2), (4), (5) and (6), but not (a)(3), which requires the table of citations. The Judiciary's brief checklist also identifies the letter-brief exception. The other incorporated sections remain required.
Where does the table of citations go in a New Jersey formal appellant's brief?
After the table of judgments, orders and rulings being appealed, and before the procedural history, under R. 2:6-2(a). It does not go immediately after the table of contents if that would put it ahead of the required judgments table.
Does the table of citations count toward New Jersey appellate page limits?
No. R. 2:6-7 excludes the tables of contents and citations from its page limits. That is not a blanket exclusion for all preliminary matter or for citations appearing in the argument.
What are the ordinary New Jersey appellate brief page limits?
R. 2:6-7 sets 50 pages for initial briefs and 15 for replies, excluding the tables of contents and citations. It provides different limits for the specified cross-appeal briefs. A letter brief under R. 2:6-2(b) is limited to 20 pages. Check the current rules and any order governing the appeal.
Should a New Jersey case entry use the Atlantic Reporter or the official reports?
R. 2:6-2(a)(6) calls for New Jersey decisions to be cited to the official New Jersey reports when officially reported. It separately addresses decisions not officially reported. Review the citation used in both the brief and the table; a court preset does not rewrite it automatically.
Can BriefAuthority generate the table of judgments, orders and rulings?
No. BriefAuthority generates a table of legal authorities. The separate table required by R. 2:6-2(a)(2) identifies decisions and their locations in the record; prepare and check it separately.
Can I finish a New Jersey table of citations on a Mac?
Yes. Generate a finished .docx table from the PDF, or pair the matching Word file with a text-based PDF to insert a finished table into the Word document. The .docx-only TA-field route is different and requires Word for Windows to build and update the table.
Rules, official checklist and verification scope
- New Jersey Judiciary — Current Rules of CourtControlling official source for R. 2:6-2, R. 2:6-7 and related appellate rules. Check current amendments and case-specific orders before filing.njcourts.gov
- New Jersey Judiciary — Checklist for Preparation of BriefOfficial checklist, indexed as revised November 2025; formal-versus-letter distinction and page-limit summary.njcourts.gov
- R. 2:6-2 — Court Rules Network full-text mirrorFull text read October 7, 2026; formal and letter contents, ordering and citation instructions. Secondary reproduction, not the official publication.courtrules.net
- R. 2:6-7 — Court Rules Network full-text mirrorFull text read October 7, 2026; 50/15-page ordinary limits, cross-appeal limits and table exclusions; amendment history through September 1, 2022.courtrules.net
- R. 2:6-2 — Forma Pauperis full-text mirrorSecond full-text reproduction read October 7, 2026, agreeing on the table requirement, letter-brief exception and required order.formapauperis.com
Source check: October 7, 2026. Full rule text was read in the identified secondary mirrors and compared with search-indexed excerpts of the Judiciary's official brief checklist. Direct access to the official rules and checklist returned an access error, so this guide does not claim a fresh full-text verification of the official publication or later amendment orders. The official rules and any order in your appeal control. General formatting guidance, not legal advice; BriefAuthority does not check whether an authority is good law or guarantee compliance.
BriefAuthority · free
No account · no upload