The internal platform searches a closed library of briefs and directives, provides AI-generated summaries, and returns highlighted source documents for lawyer verification.
TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender has launched a custom artificial-intelligence system that allows attorneys and staff to search thousands of briefs, internal documents and directives through plain-language questions while returning original source material for verification.
The state announced the OPD Resource Library on Wednesday, July 8. Unlike a general-purpose public chatbot, the system operates as an internal legal research and retrieval platform built for public-defense work, according to the Public Defender’s Office and Princeton University researchers involved in the project.
“When the existing technology couldn’t meet the demands of public defense, we didn’t lower our standards. We raised them,” said Jennifer Sellitti, New Jersey Public Defender. “Together, we built a tool tailored to public defense that amplifies the collective intelligence of the entire agency while helping public defenders focus more deeply on strategy, advocacy, and the people we represent.”
The platform searches an internal collection that the state says includes approximately 3,000 briefs, 200 internal documents and 350 directives. It is hosted within state-managed infrastructure, and the Public Defender’s Office says the system was designed to keep data within secure internal boundaries.
Attorneys can enter legal questions or plain-language phrases. The system then identifies potentially relevant sections of prior briefs, provides AI-generated summaries for context, and supplies the original PDF with the relevant section highlighted so the user can check the underlying source.
That verification step is important because generative AI systems can produce inaccurate or unsupported output. The Public Defender’s Office’s design does not eliminate that risk, but its stated workflow is built around retrieval from a defined document collection and review of original materials rather than relying solely on a generated answer.
The project was developed with researchers from Princeton University, the New Jersey Innovation Authority and the New Jersey Office of Information Technology. According to the state, researchers tested commercially available AI systems against public-defense needs and concluded that existing tools did not adequately meet requirements involving specialized language, legal reasoning or security, leading to development of a custom system.
“Together with NJOPD public defenders, we built an AI tool that directly supports existing workflows of defenders, while minimizing AI risks,” said Dominik Stammbach, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Princeton University.
Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy said the final platform is a closed-universe application accessible to New Jersey Office of the Public Defender attorneys and staff. Researchers described its role as finding relevant information from appellate briefs, internal materials and public directives rather than replacing attorneys’ professional judgment.
The launch comes as New Jersey’s court system continues developing guidance around lawyers’ use of artificial intelligence. The New Jersey Judiciary maintains a dedicated AI resource for attorneys and courts and has published notices and guidance addressing responsible use of the technology.
The OPD Resource Library is narrower than many public-facing legal AI products because it is designed around a specific agency, internal document universe and attorney workflow. Its real-world performance, including the quality of retrieval and the time it saves lawyers, will depend on continued use and evaluation; the July 8 announcement did not provide independently audited performance results.