Law HW

Dallas Campus Library

Blue Book Citation

Created by Carol Keller, Department of Criminal Justice

Revised 8/29/07

S:/Library/Library Instruction/APA Instruction/Blue Book Citation.doc

Blue Book Citation

Federal Law

Federal District Court

 General Format Petitioner v. Respondent, volume# F.Supp. page#

(district court, year)

 Examples:

Glover v. Johnson, 478 F.Supp. 1075 (E.D.Mich.1979)

Smith v. Bounds, 657 F.Supp. 1327 (E.D.N.C.1986)

Cepulonis v. Fair, 563 F.Supp. 659 (D.Mass.1983)

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

 General Format Note: Appellee v. Appellant are used in the court of appeals. This means

that the parties to the original case may be transposed. Thus, a case that

started Bounds v. Smith may be reported as Smith v. Bounds in the Court

of Appeals reporter.

 Appellee v. Appellant, volume# F.3d page# (circuit court, year)

 Examples:

Glover v. Johnson, 75 F.3d 264 (6thCir.1996)

Smith v. Bounds, 841 F.2d 77 (4thCir.1988)

Cepulonis v. Fair, 732 F.2d 1 (1stCir.1984)

U.S. Supreme Court  General Format  Petitioner v. Respondent, volume# U.S. page#

(year)

 Examples:

Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987)

 The U.S. Reporter is the preferred cite, but sometimes it is useful to use an alternate cite. West Law produces the Supreme Court Reporter. The

alternate citation format is:

Dallas Campus Library

Blue Book Citation

Created by Carol Keller, Department of Criminal Justice

Revised 8/29/07

S:/Library/Library Instruction/APA Instruction/Blue Book Citation.doc

Turner v. Safley, 107 S.Ct. 2254 (1987)  Both citations refer to the same case.

Lassiter v. Department of Social Services, 452 U.S. 18 (1981

Texas

Court of Criminal Appeals (Tex. Crim. App.), previously Court of Appeals (Tex. Ct. App.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.

o Example: Dranguet v. McCracken, 989 S.W.2d 105 (Tex. App. – San Antonio 1998).

Statutory compilations: Texas is nearing the completion of a recodification of its laws (2005). Cite to the new subject-matter Tex. Code Ann., if therein; otherwise, cite to

Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat. Ann. or to one of the independent codes contained in the series

Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes or Vernon’s Texas Statutes Annotated. Note that the

independent codes are not part of the new subject-matter Tex. Code Ann.

o Example:

 In APA Writing Style paragraph: The Texas Transportation Code Chapter 720 (1995) states the following concerning police quotas: a political

subdivision …

 In References:

Tex. [subject] Code Ann. § x (Vernon year).

Tex. Transp. Code Ann. § 720.002 (Vernon 1995).

Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. Art. x (Vernon year).

Tex. Penal Code Ann. § x (Vernon year).

Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § x (Vernon year).