Unit II Case Study BL
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2019-Legal-Citation-Overview.pdf
LEGAL CITATION OVERVIEW
2019 SUCCESS CENTER
Based on The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation – 20th Edition
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The Bluebook – 20th Edition
This document covers common legal citation formats addressed in the 20th edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, but it is not a complete guide. The Bluebook is the citation guide that the American Psychological Association defers to when referencing legal material. Should you have any questions, please contact the CSU Success Center/Writing Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-977-8449 ext. 6538.
For all rules and requirements of legal citations, please refer to the 20th edition of The
Bluebook, which can be purchased through The Bluebook’s official website at
https://www.legalbluebook.com/Purchase/Products.aspx.
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Contents
What is The Bluebook? .....................................................................................................................
Legal Citation Examples ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Court Cases ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..………….
Supreme Court Cases …………………………………………………………………………..………….
Other Court Cases ………………………………………………………………………………..………….
Unpublished Court Cases …………………………………………………………………………………
In-text Citations for Court Cases ………………………………………………………………………
Constitutions and Amendments …………………………………………………………….……………………
Legislative Materials ……………………………………………………………………………….……….………….
City Ordinances ………………………………………………………………………….………….………...
Congressional Hearings ………………………………………………………………………..………….
Senate Bills …………………………………………………………………………………………….………..
State Codes ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
United States Codes ……..…………………………………………………………………………………
Administrative Materials ……………………………………………………………………………….……………
Executive Orders ……………………………………………………………………………….…………….
Code of Federal Regulations ……………………………………………………………………………
Federal Register Entries …………………………………………………………………………………..
International Treaties ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Tips and Tricks………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…
References ………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………..
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What is The Bluebook?
Compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the
University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Review, The Bluebook has been in
continuous publication since 1926. It is considered the definitive approach to referencing legal
materials. The Bluebook serves to provide a uniform system for citing court cases, bills, codes,
and more, just as the APA Publication Manual does for other source materials. Because of this,
the American Psychological Association (APA) defers to The Bluebook whenever legal resources
are used.
Much like the formatting rules provided in the APA Publication Manual, the standards
laid out in The Bluebook serve the purpose of allowing readers to locate the source material
quickly and efficiently. Following a uniform set of rules for citation, whether The Bluebook or
APA, helps to give credit to those responsible for creation of the source and prevents plagiarism.
Because legislation varies drastically across different states and court systems, the
information provided here in the CSU Legal Citation Overview is limited only to the most
commonly used legal resources. Therefore, the CSU Legal Citation Overview is not a
comprehensive guide to The Bluebook. If any questions or concerns arise about The Bluebook or
APA format, or you encounter a legal resource not covered in this guide, please feel free to
contact the CSU Writing Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at
1-800-977-8449 ext. 6538.
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Legal Citation Examples
Court Cases
Structure court case citations using the following information: Participants in the case,
volume, name of the reporter, first page of the reporter in which it is published, and the year.
Reporters are the various journals and official publications that legal systems use to report the
decisions of cases. They are often abbreviated, which can generally be found on the copy of the
case. Below are correctly formatted reference examples of court cases.
Supreme Court Case
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Other Court Case
Jackson v. Commonwealth, 583 S.E.2d 780 (Va. Ct. App. 1954)
Plaintiff
Defendant
Volume
Reporter
First Page
Year
Plaintiff
Defendant Reporter
Volume First Page Year
Court Abbreviation
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Unpublished Court Case Example
For cases that are not published in a reporter but are otherwise available to the public, use the official case or docket number, which will usually be available on the document or the repository in which it is located. Notice that the URL is added to the end of this citation with a comma. The URL is not required if the material is an official or otherwise original source; however, it may be affixed to the end of the citation if needed.
Cogine v. Village of Crivitz, No. 11-C-0637 (E.D. Wis. 2013),
http://media.jrn.com/documents/congine-v-crivitz.pdf
In-text Citations for Court Cases
In text, the name of the court case will be italicized. The first citation will include the names of both parties, separated by v., and the year of the decision. All subsequent citations will include only one party’s name (usually the first listed or the least common, if the first listed name happens to be a state or something that could have other references) and the year of the decision.
Court
Case or Docket
Number Defendant Plaintiff Year
URL
All Subsequent Citations
Name (year)
Brown (1954)
(Congine, 2013)
First Use
Name v. Name (year)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
(Congine v. Crivitz, 2013)
If you find the text of a court case on a webpage like Findlaw, Cornell Law School,
or another similar source, be sure to cite the case itself using the court case format above.
These will not be webpage citations.
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State Constitution Format
State abbreviation. Const. art. #, § #
Example
Ala. Const. art. I, § 219
In-text Citation
(Ala. Const. art. I, § 219) or “article I, section 219”
Legal Citation Examples
Constitutions and Amendments
When citing the Constitution or Constitutional amendments, the in-text citation and the reference citation will look exactly the same. It is also acceptable to name the article of the constitution you are discussing when paraphrasing. For example, “In Article I, Section 3…” would be an acceptable way to cite the Constitution. It is still necessary to include a parenthetical in- text citation for any quoted information and to use a citation on the reference list.
U.S. Constitution
Format
U.S. Const. art. #, § #
Example
U.S. Const. art. I, § 3
In-text Citation
(U.S. Const. art. I, § 3) or “Article I, Section 3”
Constitutional Amendment
Format
U.S. Const. amend. #
Example
U.S. Const. amend. XXI
In-text Citation
(U.S. Const. amend. XXI)
If the text of an Amendment or
Constitution is quoted in your textbook
or another source,
cite the amendment itself
(not the textbook) using these formats.
Capitalize the word “constitution” when referring to a specific document, such as the U.S. Constitution or Alabama Constitution. In contrast, “constitutional” should not be capitalized. The same rules apply to
amendments. If an amendment is named specifically, it should be capitalized, but if you are only mentioning that many constitutions have amendments, neither should be capitalized.
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Legal Citation Examples
Legislative Materials
This section of the CSU Legal Citation Guide will cover some of the most common
legislation used for assignments at Columbia Southern University. Legislative materials are those
bills, resolutions, Acts, etc. that are the result of the legislative process. Much like court cases,
they will include a title, publishing information (which includes the title number and the
regulation they fall under), the specific section being cited, and the year. There is a wide variety
of legislative material that can be used, and each type has its own unique requirements for
citation.
City Ordinances
When citing a city ordinance, provide, using small caps, the name of the political
subdivision (city or county) and the abbreviated state name, followed by the name of the code,
section, or any other information available, and the year of publication in parentheses. Because
ordinances vary widely, it is best to include as much information as possible regarding the
designation. This can include (but is not limited to) chapters, articles, sections (§), and even page
numbers. The in-text citation should use the ordinance designation inside parentheses.
FORT WORTH, TEX., REV ORDINANCES ch. 34, art. I, § 15 (1950)
In-text Citations for City Ordinances
(Ordinance designation)
(Ch. 34, art. I, § 15)
Political
Subdivision
State
Name of
Code
Ordinance
Designations
Year
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Congressional Hearings When citing a congressional hearing, you will provide the title of the hearing followed by the
session number and, in parentheses, the year of the hearing. In the body of your paper, it is acceptable to
use a shortened version of the congressional hearing title due to their usual length. You can provide the
shortened title along with the year inside parentheses for your in-text citations.
Whistleblower Reprisal and Management Failures at the U.S. Chemical Safety Board,
113th Cong. (2014).
In-text Citations for Congressional Hearings
(Shortened title, year)
(Whistleblower Reprisal, 2014)
Senate Bills When citing a senate bill, you will need to provide the number of the bill, the number or
year and name of the legislative body, the number or year of the session, and, in parentheses, the
state and year in which the bill was passed (or presented, in the case that it did not pass). For
your in-text citations, you can simply refer to the senate bill by its abbreviation or name.
In-text
Citations for Senate Bills
(S.B. #)
(S.B. 413)
Title
Session of Congress
Year
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State Codes When citing a state code, provide the abbreviated state name followed by the code
specification, the title number, and the section or chapter number, as well as the year of publication.
Be sure to use small caps for the name of the state and code. For your in-text citations, you can simply
refer to the code by name and provide the publication year behind it, or you can include the name of
the code and the publication year.
CAL. CODE REGS. tit. 24 § 2 (2016)
In-text Citations for State Codes
(State. Code specification, year)
(Cal. Code Regs., 2016)
United States Codes
When citing United States Codes (U.S.C.), you will provide the title of the standard
followed by the title numbers and regulations cited. The specific section number will come after
this, and the last year the regulation was updated comes in parentheses at the end. For your in-
text citations, you can simply refer to the standard by name and provide the most recent update
year behind it, either in parentheses or in the body of the text.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § § 12101-12213 (2000).
In-text Citations
(Title of the standard, year)
(Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 2000)
State
Code
Specification
Title
Number
Chapter
Number
Year
Title of the Standard
Title Number Year
Section Number
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Legal Citation Examples
Administrative Materials
Administrative materials are the result of administrative and executive agencies that will
usually appear in the Code of Federal Regulations. More recent updates and proposed
regulations will be published in the Federal Register, which is the U.S. government’s journal
containing agency rules and proposed regulations. The recommended site for researching
standards and regulations is eCFR.
Executive Orders
Most presidential executive orders will be cited to 3 C.F.R. Because these orders are
sometimes reprinted in newer versions of the C.F.R., the original year the order was given should
be cited, rather than the most recent edition of the C.F.R. If the executive order is not listed in 3
C.F.R., cite to the Federal Register instead.
Orders from 3 C.F.R.
Format
Exec. Order No. #, 3 C.F.R. # (Year)
Example
Exec. Order No. 11,609, 3 C.F.R. 586 (1971-1975)
In-text Citations
According to Executive Order No. 11,609 (1971)…
(Executive Order No. 11,609, 1971)
Orders from the Federal Register
Format
Proclamation No. #, # Fed. Reg. # (Publication date)
Example
Proclamation No. 5466, 50 Fed. Reg. 37,645 (Sept. 14, 1985)
In-text Citations
According to Proclamation No. 5466 (1985)…
(Proclamation No. 5466, 1985)
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Code of Federal Regulations
When citing the Code of Federal Regulations, you will provide the title of the regulation
followed by the title numbers and regulations cited. The specific section number will come after
this, and the last year the regulation was updated comes in parentheses at the end. For your in-
text citations, you can simply refer to the regulation by name and provide the most recent
update year behind it, either in parentheses or in the body of the text.
Standards for Explosives and Blasting Agents, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.109 (1998).
In-text Citations
(Title of regulation, year)
(Standards for Explosives and Blasting Agents, 1998)
Federal Register Entries
When citing a Federal Register entry, you will provide the title of the entry, the title
number and the regulation cited, the specific page number, the proposal date, and the
codification information. For your in-text citations, provide the title of the entry and the year of
the proposal date.
Organic Research, Promotion, and Information Order, 82 Fed. Reg. 11854
(proposed Feb. 27, 2017) (to be codified at 7 C.F.R. 1255).
In-text Citations
(Title, proposal year)
(Organic Research, Promotion, and Information Order, 2017)
Title
Title
Number
Specific
Section
Regulations Cited Year
Title
Proposal Date Codification Information
Title Number
and Regulation
Cited
Page Number
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Legal Citation Examples
International Treaties
A treaty is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties. There are two
primary types called bilateral and multilateral. A bilateral treaty involves only two parties, while a
multilateral treaty involves three or more. International treaties should include the title of the
agreement, name(s) of the parties (for bilateral treaties only), subdivision cited, date of signing,
and the treaty's source information. The volume and page numbers will be given for U.S. treaties
and international treaties. Use the item numbers whenever provided. For your in-text citations, you can refer to the treaty by its title and publication year. For treaties with long titles, it is appropriate to
abbreviate to a shorter version as long as no other references begin with the same words.
Bilateral Treaties
Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, U.S.-Japan, art. X, Apr. 2, 1953, 4 U.S.T. 2063
In-text Citations
(Title, Year)
(Treaty of Friendship, 1953)
Multilateral Treaties
North Atlantic Treaty art. 5, Apr. 4 1949, 63 Stat. 2241, 34 U.N.T.S. 243.
In-text Citations
(Title, Year)
(North Atlantic Treaty, 1949)
Title
Parties
Subdivision
Cited
Date of
Signing
Treaty
Source
Title
Subdivision
Cited
Date of Signing
U.S. Treaty
Source
International
Treaty Source
Multilateral treaties
(treaties involving more
than two parties) will not
list the parties involved.
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Tips and Tricks for Legal Writing
When using legal materials, there are a number of writing and formatting conventions that
should be adhered to. Following these writing tips will help the reader keep up with the legal
information being discussed without creating unnecessary confusion.
Non-English terms, like habeus corpus or ex post facto, should be italicized. Legal writing uses many non-English terms, especially Latin.
Abbreviations are organized in tables in The Bluebook. Often, you can find specific abbreviations through a Google search. However, if you are having difficulty finding the approved Bluebook abbreviation, please feel free to contact the Writing Center at [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-977-8449 ext. 6538.
If citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision, whether it be the decision or a dissenting opinion, be sure to introduce it by referencing the specific justice who wrote that opinion. For example: Justice Scalia wrote “...” (Name v. Name, year, page no.).
To format small caps, as needed for certain types of legal citations, you should highlight the information and press Ctrl + Shift + K.
The section symbol (§) can be found in Word under the Insert tab. Select Symbol (all the way to the left), and then More Symbols (if you do not see it in the options shown). This will bring up a large selection of symbols. However, if you click the tab that says Special Characters, you will have a much smaller list in which the section symbol can be located.
CSU Online Library
The Columbia Southern Online Library grants students access to more than fifty
databases, including LegalTrac. The LegalTrac database is especially useful for legal writing,
featuring a wide-ranging selection of major legal publications. The CSU librarians are happy to
assist students with navigating the databases and selecting appropriate resources.
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 877-268-8046
• 24/7 Chat Available
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References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
The bluebook: A uniform system of citation (20th ed.). (2015). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law
Review Association.
