Legal Citations are used in ACC's Paralegal Program.
Citation examples are from The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 21st edition.
Please ask a librarian if you have any questions about citing your legal sources.
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Basic Format |
Case Name, published or unpublished source Reporter p. # and if necessary, pinpoint citation to specific page number(s) (Court Year of decision) (other information if applicable) (subsequent case history if applicable). |
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Regional Reporter |
Case Name [Marchetti v. Parsons], Reporter Vol. # [638] Reporter Abbreviation [A.2d] first page of case [1047], Pinpoint Citation [1052] (State Court Abbreviation [R.I.] Year Decided [1994]. Marchetti v. Parsons, 638 A.2d 1047, 1052 (R.I. 1994). |
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US Supreme Court |
Case Name [Kansas v. Marsh], US Report Vol. # [548] Reporter Abbreviation "U.S." or "S.Ct." [U.S.] page # [163] (Year of decision [2006]). Kansas v. Marsh, 548 U.S. 163 (2006) |
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US Court of Appeals |
Case Name [United States v. DeAngelo], Federal Reporter Vol [13] Reporter abbreviation [F.3d] page #s [1228, 1233] (abbreviation for deciding court [8th Cir.] Year decided [1994]). United States v. DeAngelo , 13 F.3d 1228, 1233 (8th Cir. 1994). |
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US District Court |
Case Name [Glassroth v. Moore], Vol # to Federal Supplement [229] Reporter Abbreviation [F. Supp. 2d] page # [1290] (Deciding court abbreviation [M.D. Ala.] Year decided [2002]). Glassroth v. Moore, 229 F. Supp. 2d 1290 (D. Mass. 2002). |
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State |
State abbreviation [Neb.] Code's abbreviation [Rev. Stat.] Statutes section # [§§ 33-114] (Year on the spine [1998]). Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 33-114 (1998). *This is slightly different for Texas and some other states. Ask a librarian for help or click here to view a list put together by Cornell University Law School. *If there isn't a spine because the citation appears in a supplement, give the latest copyright year. *No underlining or Italics |
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Federal |
The official name of the act [Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act], Title # [42] Code abbreviation [U.S.C.] Statutes section # § [405(a)] (Year on the spine [2000]). Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(a) (2000). *No underlining or Italics |
| General Format | Volume # for multi-volume sets Author's Name(s) as listed on title page, Title page or section # [edition #] (Year of publication). |
| Book |
17 Charles Wright & Arthur Miller, Federal Practice and Precedure §1006 (3d ed.1998). or Stephen D. Luca et al., Torts § 89 (2008). |
| Newspapers & Magazines |
Author's full name [Zev Borow], Title of article [Spousal Support], Abbreviated name of periodical [N.Y. Times], article date/date on cover [Oct. 5, 2009], at p. # [at 36]. Zev Borow, Spousal Support, N.Y. Times, Oct. 5, 2009, at 36. |
| Law Reviews & Journals |
Author's name as it appears, Article Title, Vol. # Abbreviated Name of Review/Journal p. #, Pinpoint citation p. # (Publication Year). Dan M. Kahan, Secret Ambition of Deterrence, 113 Harv. L. Rev. 413, 419 (1999). |
| Cases |
Case Name [Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission], Docket # [No. 08-205] (Court abbreviation and decision date) [U.S. Jan. 21, 2010], URL [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-205.pdf] Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, No. 08-205 (U.S. Jan. 21, 2010), http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-205.pdf *Always use print citation instead of online if available *If multiple online formats exist, use PDF when possible |
| Website |
Author's Name(s) [David Lateral], Title of specific page of website [Movie Night with Justice Brewer], Title of the main page of the website [Above the Law], Date and time [Oct. 27, 2017, 4:20pm], the URL [http://abovethelaw.com/media/2017/movie-night-with-justice-brewer/]. David Lateral, Movie Night with Justice Brewer, Above the Law (Oct. 27, 2017, 4:20pm), http://abovethelaw.com/media/2017/movie-night-with-justice-brewer/. *If there is no date on the specific webpage, use the "last modified" or "last updated" date after the URL. If no date can be found, use the date you last visited the webpage. Example: www.yahoo.com (last visited September 2, 2021). |
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E-mail from Rita Wilson, Gov. Doc. Coordinator, UTSA John Peace Libr., to Emme Lopez, Temp. Reference Librarian, UTSA John Peace Libr. (Jan. 12, 2010, 12:43 CST) (on file with author). *Email addresses are not necessary. |
