Indigo Book 2.0

A. BACKGROUND RULES

R1 Scope and Format of Standard Legal Documents

The Uniform System of Citation has split into two main branches, with somewhat different citation rules for each. The Indigo Book is a resource for legal citations in standard legal documents.

The Indigo Book states the rules and provides examples for standard legal documents. We define standard legal documents as documents created for practical law-related purposes such as court filings, legal memoranda, legal analysis, and other forms of legal information that require or benefit from a technically precise and commonly understood citation format. The legal citations for standard legal documents using The Indigo Book adhere to a generally consistent national standard.

Many state courts and local legal communities use citation formats that vary from this common standard, more so for state and local citations than for federal citations. Table T3 provides selective information on state variations. In customizing legal citations for a local audience, consult Table T3 as well as local court rules, customs, and expertise.

R1.2 Academic Legal Documents

Academic legal documents include articles for publication in law reviews, generally authored by law professors and law students enrolled in J.D. programs. The Uniform System of Citation treats law review articles and standard legal documents differently, requiring different fonts and imposing additional footnote rules. Citations in standard legal documents and law review articles provide the same information about legal sources, and a short cross-reference highlighting key font differences is provided in Table T19. A full treatment of formal citation formats for law review articles is outside the scope of The Indigo Book.

R2. Typeface Standards

R2.1 Italicized Components of Legal Citations

In legal citations, italicize the following components, whether placed in footnotes or textual sentences:

Case names—in both full and short citations—and procedural phrases (such as In re and Ex parte) embedded in the case names
Book titles
Article titles
Certain titles in legislative materials such as committee hearings
Introductory signals (examples: e.g., see, cf., and accord)
Explanatory phrases that introduce subsequent case history (examples: aff’d or cert. denied)
Cross references, (examples: infra, supra and id.)
Words and phrases that introduce related authority (e.g., reprinted in and available in)

Example:

The Supreme Court’s practice of allowing modifications after opinions’ initial release has at times extended beyond typographical corrections to substantive changes. Richard Lazarus, The (Non)Finality of Supreme Court Opinions, 128 Harv. L. Rev. 540, 544 (2014).

R2.2 Additional Italicized Words in Textual Sentences

In the textual sentences of standard legal documents, also italicize the following components and words:

Publication titles (e.g., The Onion)
Words that are italicized in the original quotation, with no need to add the parenthetical (emphasis in original); and
All words that would be italicized in the text (e.g., foreign words that are not commonly used in English language documents).

Example:

As Adam Liptak reported in The New York Times, the Supreme Court sometimes corrects and modifies its opinions after their initial release. Adam Liptak, Final Word on U.S. Law Isn’t: Supreme Court Keeps Editing, N.Y. Times, May 25, 2014, at A1, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/us/final-word-on-us-law-isnt-supreme-court-keeps-editing.html.

Indigo Inkling

The typewriter was invented around the 1860s. The first edition of The Bluebook is from 1926. Typewriters of that era did not support italics or boldface. If you wanted to emphasize text, your sole option was to underline. Throughout The Indigo Book, you'll see us italicizing text rather than underlining, because that’s how we do it in the 21st Century. For an archaic look or where local court rules require, underlining is a good option. If you have a choice, we believe italics are easier to read and should be the preferred method.

While we’re on the subject of formatting text, we also urge writers to format their quotations using all the benefits of modern word processing. Specifically, use well-formatted “smart quotes” (shown here) that curl around the quoted material, rather than "dumb quotes" (shown here) that are the same whether opening or closing a quote.

R3 In-Text Citations

R3.1 Three Options for In-Text Citations

For standard legal documents, in-text citations can be rendered in three ways:

a complete sentence that supports a claim in the immediately preceding sentence of text;

a clause within the sentence when the citation relates to a particular part of a sentence, immediately following the claim it supports; or

embedded within the sentence’s own grammatical flow.

R3.2 Citation Sentences

Citations in standard legal documents often follow complete text sentences.

Examples:

Under the due process requirement, there must be “some definite link, some minimum connection, between a state and the person, property or transaction it seeks to tax.” Miller Bros. Co. v. Maryland, 347 U.S. 340, 344-345 (1954).

Electronic signatures have the same legal effect as signatures signed with pen and ink. The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7001-7006.

Citations following sentences can be single citations or, when appropriate, several sequential citations separated by a semicolon (known as a “string citation”). These string citations can utilize citation signals consistent with Rule R4 to show the relationship of the citation to the textual sentence.

Example:

Prior to 2018, Supreme Court precedent had required a seller to have a physical presence within a state as a requirement of state taxation. See Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992); Nat’l Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Dep’t of Rev. of Ill., 386 U.S. 753 (1967).

R3.3 Citation Clauses

Some citations in standard legal documents are placed as citation clauses within sentences. Use citation clauses to cite sources and authorities that relate to only a section of the sentence. A citation clause directly follows the claim it relates to. It may include a signal to indicate the relationship of the cited source to the claim.

Separate citation clauses from the text with commas. Do not add additional capital letters beyond the required capitalization of the sources being cited.

Examples:

Federal law attempts to address online privacy generally, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2523, and children’s privacy specifically, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6505.

Although detailed regulations apply to children’s privacy online, 16 C.F.R. pt. 312, significant gaps remain in both federal and state law.

R3.4 Citations Embedded in Sentences

Citations can be embedded into the grammatical structure of a textual sentence in a variety of ways. Because citations embedded in sentences are read as part of the sentence’s grammatical flow, the rules for abbreviating case names are different and more restrictive than for citation sentences and clauses.

Examples:

Since Nelson v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 312 U.S. 359, 366 (1941), the Court has eschewed the idea that a constitutional right could be grounded in “the practical opportunities for tax avoidance.

In Nelson v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., the Court first eschewed the idea that a constitutional right could be grounded in “the practical opportunities for tax avoidance.” 312 U.S. 359, 366 (1941),

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6505 (“COPPA”), was the first federal law specifically protecting children under the age of 13.

Indigo Inkling

Traditionally, the citations within standard legal documents have been integrated into the main body text. These citations may be placed directly after textual sentences, in citation sentences; as citation clauses within sentences; or textually embedded within sentences. Traditionally, law review articles present their citation support via extensive footnotes in a distinctive format with three different font styles (roman, italics, and Small Caps).

Some courts and lawyers are now producing standard legal documents using footnotes rather than in-text citations. Legal scholar, speaker, and advocate Bryan A. Garner is the best-known proponent of footnotes in standard legal documents, arguing that in-text citations interfere with textual flow and disguise bad writing. Others such as Professor Alexa Chew argue that in-text citations are superior because they integrate source information into the text, a process that can be accomplished with style and grace. The Indigo Book provides citation rules that can be used for either in-text or footnoted citations in standard legal documents.

The original edition of The Indigo Book advised writers to use footnotes only when allowed by a court’s local rules. This remains good advice, although we note that some writers use footnotes when not expressly prohibited by a court’s local rules. Rule R3 has been modified to more fully accommodate the writer’s discretion. As with many discretionary choices, writers should select an approach based on the document’s purpose, audience, and overall context.

R4 Signals

R4.1 Function of Signals

A signal represents the relationship between the author’s assertion and the source or sources cited following that assertion, a relationship that can run the gamut from supporting it directly to supporting the exact opposite of that assertion. To show this relationship, the signal begins the citation sentence or clause.

R4.2 Categories of Signals

There are four basic categories of signals:

Category	Signals
Signals for Supporting Authority	[No signal]
	E.g.,
	Accord
	See
	See also
	Cf.
Signal for Comparison	Compare <citation to source(s), separated with “and” if multiple> with <citation to source(s), separated with “and” if multiple>
Signals for Contradictory Authority	Contra
	But see
	But cf.
Signals for Background Material	See generally

R4.3 Combinations of Signals

When more than one category of authority is used in the same citation, they should be ordered according to categories of signals. As shown in the table above, the categories follow a logical order: supporting authority is provided before comparative and contradictory authority, and general background.

In citation sentences, signals in the same category are listed within a single sentence, and each one is marked off by semicolons. Signals in separate categories, however, are listed in separate citation sentences.

Example:

Justice Scalia once noted that “the Constitution sometimes insulates the criminality of a few in order to protect the privacy of us all.” Arizona v. Hicks, 480 U.S. 321, 329 (1987). But see Maryland v. King, 569 U.S. 435, 462-463 (2013) (acknowledging the existence of “programmatic searches of either the public at large or a particular class of regulated but otherwise law-abiding citizens” such as motorist checkpoints).

In citation clauses, all signals (regardless of category) are listed within a single citation clause and separated by semicolons.

Example:

Justice Scalia once noted that “the Constitution sometimes insulates the criminality of a few in order to protect the privacy of us all,” Arizona v. Hicks, 480 U.S. 321, 329 (1987); see also Maryland v. King, 569 U.S. 435, 481 (2013) (Scalia, J., dissenting) (“Solving unsolved crimes is a noble objective, but it occupies a lower place in the American pantheon of noble objectives than the protection of our people from suspicionless law-enforcement searches.”); and later applied that principle to limit police use of thermal imaging technology, see Kyllo v. United States, 389 U.S. 27 (2001); cf. United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012) (invalidating use of a GPS tracking device for long-term surveillance).

R4.4 Authorities Cited Within Each Signal

For the order of authorities cited after (and thus within each signal), order them in a helpful and logical manner, and use a semicolon in between each one.

Indigo Inkling

String citations are not always desirable or appropriate, especially in standard legal documents. Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert of the Third Circuit describes string citations as “generally irritating and useless.” Alexa Chew, Stylish Legal Citation, 71 Ark. L. Rev. 823, 858 n. 214 (2019) (quoting Judge Aldisert in Winning on Appeal: Better Briefs and Oral Arguments 57 (2d ed. 2003). On the other hand, after a carefully crafted proposition drawn from several authorities, a string cite may be “the right tool for the job.” Id. at 859.

When a string citation is appropriate, the writer must decide how to order the authorities in the string. In relatively recent years, academic legal documents have followed an elaborate hierarchy, which essentially consists of the following: constitutions before statutes, state statutes in alphabetical order by state, federal cases before state cases, legislative materials before regulatory materials, and all other primary materials, then followed by secondary materials. See The Indigo Book: A Manual of Legal Citation Rule R10 (1st ed. 2016); The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation Rule 1.4 (20th ed. 2015). This hierarchy often does, in fact, provide the most logical order; it seems unwise to cite Wikipedia before the United States Constitution, for example. But this hierarchy may not always fit the situation. The Uniform System of Citation is evolving to encompass more flexibility and discretion in a few pockets here and there, such as the basic principle that authorities cited in a string within a single signal should be placed in a helpful and logical order.

R4.5 Capitalization of Signals

R4.5.1 Signals that start citation sentences

The signal is capitalized at the beginning of a citation sentence.

Example:

Unbelievable as it may be, the Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue of whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. See Nix v. Heden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893).

R4.5.2 Signals in citation clauses within textual sentences

The signal is left in lowercase at the beginning of a citation clause.

Example:

Even seemingly trivial issues, see, e.g., Nix v. Heden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893) (addressing the question of whether tomatoes are fruits or vegetables), can sometimes merit input from the Supreme Court.

R4.6 Signals for Supporting Authority

R4.6.1 No signal

A citation does not need an added signal if—

The source makes the same assertion as the sentence it is supporting.

Example:

To impose the death penalty on an individual who is criminally insane is unconstitutional. Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399, 410 (1986).

The assertion is a direct quotation from the source.

Example:

States are prohibited from “inflicting the penalty of death upon a prisoner who is insane.” Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399, 410 (1986).

The source is referred to in the assertion.

Example:

In cases like Roper, Atkins, and Ford, the Supreme Court has established certain classes of individuals upon which the death penalty may not be imposed. Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551, 575 (2005); Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 321 (2002); Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399, 410 (1986).

R4.6.2 E.g.,

Use e.g., if the cited source is one of multiple sources to make the same assertion. The citation may include however many sources the author finds to be helpful. Note that the comma in the signal e.g., should not be italicized.

Examples:

In a criminal case, the state bears the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. E.g., State v. Purrier, 336 P.3d 574, 576 (Or. Ct. App. 2014).

Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Riley v. California, 573 U.S. 373 (2014), several circuits had generally allowed the police to conduct warrantless searches of cell phones of individuals under arrest. E.g., U.S. v. Murphy, 552 F.3d 405, 411 (4th Cir. 2009); U.S. v. Finley, 477 F.3d 250, 260 (5th Cir. 2007).

E.g., may also be used following any other signal, such as See or Contra in which case an italicized comma should separate the two signals.

R4.6.3 Accord

Accord is used when more than one source substantiates a proposition, but the text quotes just one of them. Use accord as the introductory signal for the non-quoted sources. Also, accord may be used as the introductory signal for indicating that the law of one jurisdiction is consistent with the law of another.

Examples:

Colorado law makes it the “duty of every corporation or person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has been committed to report promptly the suspected crime to law enforcement authorities.” Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-8-115 (2020); accord Lunsford v. W. States Life Ins., 919 P.2d 899, 901 (Colo. App. 1996) (interpreting the reasonable-grounds standard as lower than the probable-cause standard enabling police to make a warrantless arrest).

Under Colorado law, witnesses have a limited duty to report crimes. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-8-115 (2020); accord Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 268, § 40 (2020).

R4.6.4 See

See is used when an authority does not directly state but clearly supports the proposition. See is used instead of no signal when an inferential step is required to connect the proposition to the authority cited.

Example:

Citizens have less training than police on detecting crime and no authority to detain other individuals; thus, citizens’ duty to report crime is based on reasonable grounds to believe a crime has been committed, rather than the more exacting probable cause standard. See Lunsford v. W. States Life Ins., 919 P.2d 899, 901 (Colo. App. 1996) (interpreting the reasonable-grounds standard to be less than the probable-cause standard enabling police to make a warrantless arrest).

R4.6.5 See also

See also is used for additional sources that support an assertion. Use see also when authority that states or clearly supports the assertion has already been cited or discussed. The use of a parenthetical is recommended with see also.

Example:

Slayer statutes prevent killers from reaping rewards from committing homicide. Lunsford v. W. States Life Ins., 908 P.2d 79, 83 (Colo. 1995) (en banc); see also Bennett v. Allstate Ins. Co., 722 A.2d 115, 117 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 1998) (interpreting New Jersey’s slayer statute to mandate that “an intentional killer will not be permitted to benefit, directly or indirectly, from his wrongful act”).

R4.6.6 Cf.

Cf. indicates support by analogy to the assertion. It may also be used where the source is related but requires some interpretive work to connect to the assertion. Cf. may also be used within a string citation to provide another source that is analogous to the previously cited source in that string. Always use a parenthetical with cf. to explain the logical connection required for the argument.

Examples:

Attorneys have an ethical duty of competence, but under Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 comment 3, that duty may be relaxed in emergency situations. Cf. Carter v. Reese, 2016-Ohio-4559, 70 N.E.3d 478 (holding that Good Samaritan law protects from liability anyone giving medical or nonmedical emergency aid, not only healthcare workers providing medical aid).

Slayer statutes seek to eliminate any financial incentive to commit murder by prohibiting insurance proceeds to the killer. E.g., Unif. Prob. Code § 2-803; cf. N.Y. Exec. Law § 632-a (2020) (seizing profits from publications by certain incarcerated felons).

R4.6.7 See generally

See generally is used for useful background material. It is recommended that you use a parenthetical with see generally in order to explain the authority’s relevance to the proposition.

Example:

The slayer rule is a product of common law principles prohibiting killers from profiting their crimes. See generally Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment § 45(2) (Am. L. Inst. 2011) (“A slayer's acquisition, enlargement, or accelerated possession of an interest in property as a result of the victim's death constitutes unjust enrichment that the slayer will not be allowed to retain.”).

R4.7 Signal for Comparison: Compare … with …

Compare … with … is used when the relationship of multiple authorities will demonstrate or offer support for the proposition. It is highly recommended that each authority in the comparison be explained with a parenthetical in order to make the relationship and argument clear to the reader.

Each portion of the compare … with … signal may contain multiple sources. Separate these sources using commas and italicized and between the penultimate and ultimate citation in the list.

Example:

The 20th Century saw sweeping changes in the definition and scope of the Due Process Clause. Compare Lochner v. New York, 198 U.S. 45 (1905) (showing the Supreme Court’s historical interpretation of the Due Process Clause as solely protecting an individual’s right to contract), with McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010) (incorporating the Second Amendment using the Due Process Clause), BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, 517 U.S. 559 (1996) (utilizing the Due Process Clause to reduce punitive damages), and Dolan v. City of Tigard, 512 U.S. 374 (1994) (limiting the zoning and ordinance powers of local governments under the Due Process Clause).

Insert a comma before with. As with all citation sentences, insert a period to conclude the citation sentence. It is theoretically possible to conclude with a semicolon and continue with more signals and citations in the order listed within this rule, but probably not advisable. See our Indigo Inkling on string citations.

R4.8 Signals for Contradictory Authority

R4.8.1 Contra

Contra is used when a cited authority directly conflicts with the proposition it follows. Contra is the opposite signal to no signal.

Examples:

The Bluebook efficiently formulates and expresses the rules of legal citation for a variety of audiences. David Ziff, The Worst System of Citation Except for All the Others, 66 J. Legal Educ. 668, 669 (2017) (reviewing The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia L. Rev. Ass’n et al. eds., 20th ed. 2015)) (“Perhaps The Bluebook survives because it’s not so terrible after all. Perhaps The Bluebook works quite well for the task it was designed to perform.”). Contra Richard A. Posner, The Bluebook Blues, 120 Yale L.J. 950, 951 (2011) (“It is a monstrous growth, remote from the functional need for legal citation forms, that serves obscure needs of the legal culture and its student subculture.”).

The Bluebook is a “monstrous growth, remote from the functional need for legal citation forms.” Richard A. Posner, The Bluebook Blues, 120 Yale L.J. 950, 951 (2011). Contra David Ziff, The Worst System of Citation Except for All the Others, 66 J. Legal Educ. 668, 226 (2017) (reviewing The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia L. Rev. Ass’n et al. eds., 20th ed. 2015)) (“Perhaps The Bluebook survives because it’s not so terrible after all. Perhaps The Bluebook works quite well for the task it was designed to perform.”).

R4.8.2 But see

But see is used for authority that, while not directly contradicting the main proposition, nonetheless clearly opposes it. But see is the opposite signal to see.

Example:

The Supreme Court noted in Packingham v. North Carolina, 582 U.S. 98 (2017), that the internet functions as a public square. But see Manhattan Cmty. Access Corp. v. Halleck, 139 S. Ct. 1921 (2019) (holding that New York’s public access television channel is not a state actor bound by the First Amendment).

R4.8.3 But cf.

Prepare yourself, and use this one sparingly: But cf. indicates that the cited source supports an assertion that is similar to the opposite of the main assertion. It follows that But cf. is the opposite signal to cf. indicating support by analogy. Always use a parenthetical with but cf. to explain the logical connection required for the argument. This is the weakest signal for contrary authority.

Example:

The bar exam is the only professional-licensure exam that bears so little relationship to the education that precedes it or the professional work that follows it. But cf. Michael Riscica, Why (Smart & Talented) People Fail the Architect Exam, Architizer, https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/5-reasons-why-smart-and-talented-people-fail-the-architect-exam/ (last visited June 1, 2021) (“There is no correlation between success in architecture school and success with completing the exam. In fact, I truly believe that the creativity that brought you success in architecture school will be your biggest handicap with studying for the [architecture registration exam].”)

R5 Pages, Sections, Paragraphs, and Related Subdivisions

R5.1 Pages

A legal citation usually refers not only to a source in general, but to specific points within that source—whether a page, a footnote on a page, a section or sub-section, or a numbered paragraph. Citations must include specific reference to the point within the source being referred to. For cases, these specific references are known as pincites.

R5.1.1 Single pages

Refer to the source’s page by its number or numbers. Do not use p. or pp. to indicate a page reference. Use “at” if needed for clarity.”

Examples:

The Supreme Court held that a state cannot copyright its official annotated code because “whatever work that judge or legislator produces in the course of his judicial or legislative duties is not copyrightable” Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, Inc., 140 S. Ct. 1498, 1513 (2020).

Elizabeth Porter & Kathryn Watts, Visual Rulemaking, 91 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1183, 1240 (2016).

Anjali Vats, The Color of Creatorship: Intellectual Property, Race, and the Making of Americans 35 (2020).

George Orwell, 1984, at 12 (1961).

R5.1.2 Spans of pages

Refer to a span of pages with a hyphen (-), an en dash (–), or the word “to” if needed for clarity. Note that an en dash is the proper standard for providing a span of pages in a formal legal publication, but hyphens are commonly used in practice. Drop all digits except the last two, unless needed for clarity.

Examples:

Elizabeth Porter & Kathryn Watts, Visual Rulemaking, 91 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1183, 1240-41 (2016).

Porter & Watts, supra, at 1240-41.

Selmon v. Hasbro Bradley, Inc., 669 F. Supp. 1267, 1272-73 (S.D.N.Y. 1987).

McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 799-801 (1973).

Indigo Inkling

Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes are three separate marks with mostly separate functions in citations and sentences. These marks all comprise short, horizontal lines that—with the help of glasses and/or a magnifying glass—you will see have microscopically varying lengths.

Hyphens (shortest in length) are used for phrasal adjectives (e.g., “laser-sharp focus,” “larger-than-life character,” and compound words (e.g., “daughter-in-law,” “over-the-counter”). Hyphens are also a feature of many statutory citation formats, such as Ala. Code § 27-14-24 and O.C.G.A. § 33-24-41. Meticulously preserve hyphens when they are intrinsically part of a citation, such as 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1). Hyphens are commonly used for page ranges in standard legal documents.

En dashes (longer than hyphens, shorter than em dashes) can be used for ranges of values (e.g., page ranges) and contrasting or connected pairs of words (e.g., Sarbanes–Oxley Act), especially in academic legal documents.

Em dashes (longest in length) are used for inserting a break in a thought; isolating a concluding phrase; setting on a parenthetical explanation or amplification; and signaling a collection of ideas. Here’s one example: “When her new Volkswagen was finally delivered—nearly three months after it was ordered and following the revelation of VW's massive scheme of emissions control fraud—Alice decided she didn't want it.”

R5.1.3 Footnotes, figures, historical notes, and tables

Cite a footnote on a page by providing the page, one space, the abbreviation “n.”, and the footnote number. Follow the same format for figures, historical notes, tables, and similar features. Refer to Table T13 for abbreviations such as “fig.” for “figure.” Do not add a space between the abbreviation and the number or letter designating the figure, footnote, historical note, or table.

Examples:

Elizabeth Porter & Kathryn Watts, Visual Rulemaking, 91 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1183, 1239 n.270 (2016).

Cunningham v. State, 822 S.E.2d 281, 285 n.4 (Ga. 2018) (Hunstein, J.) (“And that’s all she wrote.”).

U.S. v. Rentz, 777 F.3d 1105, 1110 fig. (10th Cir. 2015) (Gorsuch, J.) (diagramming 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)).

R5.2 Sections, Subsections, and Related Subdivisions

R5.2.1 Sections

Cite a section with the section symbol (§) followed by a space and the section number.

Examples:

21 U.S.C. § 343.

21 C.F.R. § 164.150 (2020).

Restatement (Third) of Agency § 2.01 (Am. L. Inst. 2006).

Indigo Inkling

The symbol “§” means “section,” and “§§” is the plural form. The section symbol can be inserted as a special character. Computer-keyboard shortcuts create the § symbol with just a few key strokes: [Option-6] on an Apple keyboard or [Alt-0167] on a Windows keyboard using the numeric keypad. Setting up a customized keyboard shortcut may be a good option for Windows users who generate legal citations on a regular basis. If using a mobile device, you may be able to insert a section into text such as by tapping and holding the “&” key.

R5.2.2 Subsections

Specifically cite a subsection using the punctuation in the original source and the original capitalization style. Do not remove or alter parentheses or hyphens or dashes in the original source’s citation.

Examples:

42 U.S.C. § 2000ff–5(a).

42 U.S.C. § 2000ff–1(b)(2)(A).

42 U.S.C. § 2000ff(2).

Col. Rev. Stat. § 7-74-102(2)(b)(I) (2021).

21 C.F.R. § 133.3 (2021).

R5.2.3 Spans of sections, subsections, and scattered subsections

Use a hyphen, en dash (–), or the word “to” to indicate a span of sections or subsections. In a span or collection of scattered sections, include the last portion of a citation and omit the identical first part, unless repetition of all portions is needed for clarity. Do not use “et seq.” for a span of sources.

Examples:

18 U.S.C. §§ 3681-82.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000ff to 2000ff-11.

O.C.G.A. §§ 51-30-20 to -26 (2021).

Use the source’s formal title for a collected span of sections, such as parts in the Code of Federal Regulations. Table T13 provides the abbreviation for the subdivision “Part.”

Example:

21 C.F.R. pt. 133 (2020).

Use a comma to indicate scattered sections within a source.

Example:

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 16, §§ 895.1(f), 897.1(b) (2021).

R5.3 Paragraphs

Sources organized into formal paragraphs should be cited with specific reference to the paragraph referred to in the cited proposition. Do not use “at” with ¶ citations.

Examples:

Miller Aff. ¶ 8, Jan. 12, 2015.

In re N.A., 2021-NCCOA-2, ¶ 11.

R6 Full and Short Citations

R6.1 Full Citations

Provide a full citation to a source the first time it is cited. Refer to the rules in The Indigo Book for examples of each source in full-citation form.

R6.2 Short Citations

Legal citation provides frequent specific citations not just to sources as a whole, but to specific pages within sources. In some standard legal documents, every textual sentence is followed by a citation to a supporting legal source. Short-citation forms allow frequent citation in a less intrusive and repetitive way, since many full citation forms are quite long.

R6.2.1 Short citations derived from the full citation

Short-form citations enable various sources to be used throughout a passage without repeating the entire full citation every time. Short-form citations generally identify the source and pincite, using a form that follows from the full citation form, while not repeating every detail from the full citation.

Every full citation has at least one short form that can be used later in a document after the initial full citation. Refer to the source-specific rules in the Indigo Book for short-citation form examples of each source.

R6.2.2 Use of Id.

Use the short form Id. (capitalized in a citation sentence after a text sentence) or id. (uncapitalized within a sentence as citation clause) to support a statement where it refers to the same exact source cited in the immediately preceding citation. Id. can be used for statutes, regulations, cases, and most other sources.

Id. can be used alone, to indicate the same page of the same source. It can be used with a new pincite to a page, section, or other subdivision, to indicate a different portion of the immediately preceding source. Id. can also refer to a preceding citation that is itself Id. or another short form of a citation. Use “at” to indicate a pincite to a page. Do not use “at” with Id. followed by a section or paragraph pincite.

Id. at 1512.

Id. § 9.

Id. ¶ 12.

In general, do not use id. if it causes confusion or does not save space. For example, id. cannot be used after a string citation, even to refer to the final source listed in that string. Do not use id. to refer to appellate-record citations such as R. at 2. It may be used for sources with longer names in litigation documents, so long as the reference remains clear.

Id. can be used in either in-text citations or footnotes. Id. is typically not used more than four times sequentially in footnotes.

R6.2.3 Use of supra

Supra may be used as part of a short-form citation with secondary sources such as books, periodicals, internet sources. Legislative hearings may be referred to with supra. Do not use supra with primary sources such as cases, statutes, constitutions, and most legislative materials (hearings excepted). Also do not use supra with Restatements, model codes, or regulations.

Apart from its use in selected legal citations, supra may also be used as an internal cross reference.

Full citation:

Anjali Vats, The Color of Creatorship: Intellectual Property, Race, and the Making of Americans (2020).

Short citation in a standard legal document using in-text citations:

Vats, supra, at 100.

Short citation in an academic legal document with footnotes:

Vats, supra note 5, at 100.

Indigo Inkling

In academic legal documents using footnotes, a “preceding five” norm has developed wherein one may continue to use a short form citation as long as the full citation appears in one of the previous five footnotes.

There has been some variation in the application of this rule; for example, some practitioners will continue to use the short form throughout an entire article or brief unless they need to use “id.” repeatedly, in which event they follow the “preceding five” rule to avoid potential ambiguity. However, none of these conventions are absolute. Short-citation forms should be used in a clear, consistent, and helpful manner.

R7 Abbreviations

R7.1 Abbreviations Generally

Legal sources are often long and unwieldy. The tables at the back of The Indigo Book provide various resources for finding appropriate and required abbreviations.

Table T1, Table T2, and Table T3 provide information and abbreviations relevant to federal and state primary-source citations.
Table T4 provides abbreviation for looseleaf services compiling cases and other legal sources in frequently updated topical collections.
Table T5 provides legislative abbreviations.
Tables T6, T7, and T8 provide abbreviations for international, treaty, and arbitration sources.
Table T9 and Table T10 provide abbreviations for specific types of U.S. courts and the titles of judges and officials.
Table T11 is of particular interest to many law students and others grappling with cases and periodical citations. It provides common-word abbreviations used in case names and for institutional authors and periodical titles. Table T12 provides geographical abbreviations.
Table T13 provides abbreviations for document subdivisions, and Table T14 provides abbreviations for explanatory phrases.
Table T15 provides abbreviations for specific institutional names in periodical titles, and thus these abbreviations take precedence over any conflicting common-word abbreviations for institutional names from Table T12. For example, the American Bar Association is ABA, not Amer. Bar. Ass’n, when used as an institutional author.
Table T16 provides abbreviations for publishing terms such as editor and translator. Table T17 provides abbreviations for the months of the year, needed in some periodical citations and in slip-opinion citations and other cases found online rather than in reporters (thus requiring exact dates).
Table T18 is new to the Second Edition of The Indigo Book and provides abbreviations for litigation documents such as citing an affidavit or petition for certiorari.
Table T19 is also new and shows selective examples of how the Uniform System of Citation produces citations in standard and academic formats—in other words, a guide to converting the practical citations in The Indigo Book into a citation for an academic legal document (a law review). This Table is certainly not comprehensive but provides a quick view into the font differences within the two branches of the Uniform System of Citation.
Finally, Table T20 provides selective citations to additional online citation guides.

R7.2 Ordinal Abbreviations in Citations

Ordinal abbreviations are used for the court/year parenthetical in a case citation, the numerical designation of a Congress, a publication’s addition number, and other contexts. See Rule R11 generally and Table T1 for the United States Courts of Appeals (i.e. the various federal circuit courts). In citations and in textual references, ordinal abbreviations do not use superscripts. In citations, abbreviations for “second” and “third” use ordinal style references 2d and 3d, respectively. Extrapolate to larger ordinal numbers ending in second or third, such as “twenty third” becoming “23d” in a citation.

Correct:

1st Dist.

2d Cir.

2d ed.

3d Dist.

4th Cir.

Incorrect:

2nd, 2^nd, 3rd, 3^rd

4^th Cir.

5^th Dist.

Ordinals are also used in federal case citations:

F. Supp. 2d

F.3d

F.4th

Do not abbreviate the ordinal in a citation to the Restatement either in textual sentences or citations:

Restatement (Second) of Torts (Am. L. Inst. 1977)

R7.3 Textual References

Citations incorporated into textual sentences—as opposed to citation sentences, clauses, and footnotes—use different abbreviation rules to preserve readability. See Rule R3 (general guidance on citation sentences and textual sentences incorporating citations) and Rule R11.4 (abbreviation rules for case names in textual sentences).

When not providing a precise citation at all, but referring to a court in a textual sentence, spell out the court’s name consistent with common practice. See Rule R27 on capitalizing “Court” in court documents and legal memoranda.)

Example:

The Second Circuit has decided many fair-use cases.

The Florida Supreme Court overruled the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s previous holding on judges’ use of Facebook.

R8 Quotations

R8.1 General Principles for Quotations

R8.1.1 Quotation marks

Quotations of 49 words or less should be designated with double quotation marks that open and close the quotation. Do not use quotation marks around block quotations (see Rule R9 for block quotations.)

Examples:

The Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a consumer-deception claim against a legal publisher: “Under the circumstances, plaintiffs, or any reasonable consumer, could not have been materially misled to believe that defendant guaranteed Part III of the Tanbook was complete and accurate at any given time.”

The court ruled that “a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances here would not have believed that defendant represented that the section at issue, containing rent control statutes and regulations, was current and accurate for its one-year shelf life.”

R8.1.2 Punctuation with quotations

Punctuation that is part of the quoted text should appear inside the quotation marks. When the quotation is embedded into the sentence using a comma or a period added by the writer at the end of the quotation, that comma or period also appears inside the quotation marks (even though it is not part of the actual quoted text from the source). Punctuation added to a quotation anywhere other than at the end of the quoted material is an alteration that should be indicated with brackets.

Examples:

Legal professionals are “merely a subclass of consumers.”

Given that legal professionals are “merely a subclass of consumers,” New York’s consumer deception law does apply to them.

R8.1.3 Citation placement

Insert a citation sentence for the quoted material after the end of the sentence. Insert the citation as a clause if needed for clarity about which portion of the sentence is attributable to the source. Citations can be full citations or short citations, as appropriate to the surrounding context.

Examples:

“[A]nnotations published by legislators alongside the statutory text fall within the work legislators perform in their capacity as legislators.” Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, 140 S. Ct. 1498, 1509 (2020).

The Supreme Court overruled prior precedent about online retailing in light of “the day-to-day functions of marketing and distribution in the modern economy,” Wayfair v. South Dakota, 138 S. Ct. 2080, 2094 (2018), but has not applied similar reasoning to jettison other precedent.

R8.2 Alterations of Quotations

R8.2.1 Omission of letters

Place an empty bracket at the end of a common root word to indicate the change.

Example:

“The court dismissed the claim[].”

R8.2.2 Mistakes in the original quotation

To acknowledge a significant mistake in the original quotation, keep the problematic word or phrase and follow it with [sic] to indicate this to the reader.

Example:

“The Copyright Office are [sic] a department of the Library of Congress.”

R8.2.3 Substitution of letters or words

Any substitutions into quoted material should be bracketed. This includes words which might add clarity and context, and changes to the capitalization of letters.

Example:

“[T]he [Copyright] Office is a department of the Library of Congress.”

R8.2.4 Use of parenthetical clauses to indicate changes to quotation

Use the following phrases attached to a legal citation following a quotation, to indicate changes made to that quotation:

(emphasis added)
(alteration in original)
(citation omitted)
(emphasis omitted)
(internal quotation marks omitted)
(footnote omitted)

R8.2.5 Parentheticals to indicate quotations within quotations

When using a quotation within a quotation, you can either (1) attribute it to the original source with a parenthetical, or (2) acknowledge it by signaling that its citation has been omitted.

Examples:

Just as the Supreme Court has held that an official statement of the case, syllabus, or headnote prepared by judges “fall within the ‘work they perform in their capacity as judges,’ so too annotations published by legislators alongside the statutory text fall within the work legislators perform in their capacity as legislators.” Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, 140 S. Ct. 1498, 1509 (2020) (quoting Banks v. Manchester, 128 U.S. 244, 253 (1888)).

“Although the annotations are not enacted into law through bicameralism and presentment, the Commission's preparation of the annotations is under Georgia law an act of ‘legislative authority,’ and the annotations provide commentary and resources that the legislature has deemed relevant to understanding its laws.” Id. (citation omitted).

R8.2.6 Unnecessary parentheticals

The following should not be indicated in a parenthetical.

Incorrect:

(emphasis in original)

Note: No parenthetical is needed for a quotation that was copied verbatim, including italics or underlined emphasis, from the original source.

Incorrect:

(citation omitted) or (footnote omitted)

Note: No parenthetical is needed for a citation or footnote call number that follows the end of a sentence in the quoted text. Citations omitted from within a quoted sentence should, however, be indicated parenthetically.

Indigo Inkling

Dealing with quoted material can be minutely technical, as with parentheticals such as (citation omitted, internal quotation marks removed, and second emphasis omitted). To simplify and streamline citations and replace the granular detail of such parentheticals, attorney Jack Metzler has proposed and promoted a shorter parenthetical to handle such situations: (cleaned up). The parenthetical (cleaned up) after a quotation and citation indicates essentially that the writer has adjusted the citation’s mechanics to the situation for clarity and convenience and will not list and elaborate on each mechanical modification.

The (cleaned up) parenthetical has not become part of the Uniform System of Citation—yet. It has, however, been used in thousands of federal and state judicial opinions. See Jack Metzler, Cleaning Up Citations, 18 J. App. Prac. & Process 142 (2017). A Supreme Court opinion by Justice Thomas used it for the first time there, in 2021. Brownback v. King, 141 S. Ct. 740, 748 (2021). Justice Thomas used the following language:

Under that doctrine as it existed in 1946, a judgment is “on the merits” if the underlying decision “actually passes directly on the substance of a particular claim before the court.” Id., at 501–502 (cleaned up).

The cited case is Semtek Int'l Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 531 U.S. 497 (2001), and at the page cited, the original quote at pages 501-502 reads as follows:

The original connotation of an “on the merits” adjudication is one that actually “pass[es] directly on the substance of [a particular] claim” before the court. Restatement § 19, Comment a, at 161.

Thus, Justice Thomas’s use of (cleaned up) indicated that the quoted material contained additional unnecessary mechanics. In the original material from Semtek, those mechanics included various segmented quotations, bracketed alterations, and a citation to the Restatement (Second) of Judgments (1980).

The (cleaned up) approach is not without its critics, though, who argue that transparently meticulous care with quotations enhances the writer’s credibility and does not unduly distract readers. Writers will need to make individual decisions whether to consider (cleaned up), depending on their role and their audience. See, e.g., Shams Hirji, A Brief History and Status of (Cleaned Up) in the Sixth Circuit, Sixth Circuit Appellate Blog (December 19, 2022), https://www.sixthcircuitappellateblog.com/uncategorized/a-brief-history-and-status-of-cleaned-up-in-the-sixth-circuit/ But broadly, the (cleaned up) parenthetical provides yet more evidence that legal citation evolves not only through the periodic publication of citation rules, but also through practice and dialogue within the legal community.

R8.3 Omissions in Quotations

R8.3.1 Ellipses generally

An omission is indicated by an ellipsis where the words are omitted: . . .

The ellipsis in legal writing is represented by three periods and four spaces.

Insert a space after the last letter of the preceding phrase, a space between each period, and a space before the first letter of the following phrase. Rules R8.3.2-R8.3.7 contain rules and examples for incorporating ellipses in various situations.

R8.3.2 Omission from the beginning of a quoted sentence

When omitting the beginning of a quoted sentence, do not use an ellipsis. Instead, capitalize the first letter and place it in brackets. If the first letter of the quoted material is already capitalized, no change is needed, but—as with all quotes—ensure that the quotation is accurate in context.

Example:

“[T]he actual knowledge provision turns on whether the provider actually or subjectively knew of specific infringement, while the red flag provision turns on whether the provider was subjectively aware of facts that would have made the specific infringement objectively obvious to a reasonable person.”

R8.3.3 Omission in the middle of a sentence

When omitting the middle of a quoted sentence, insert an ellipsis to indicate the omission.

Example:

“The difference between actual and red flag knowledge is . . . between a subjective and an objective standard.”

R8.3.4 Omission Within a quotation as a phrase or clause

If there is an omission within the quotation, mark the omission with an ellipsis.

Example:

Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah Servs., Inc., 545 U.S. 546, 571 (2005) (noting that “[t]he distinguished jurists who drafted the Subcommittee Working Paper . . . agree that this provision, on its face, overrules Zahn.”).

R8.3.5 Omission at the end of a sentence

When omitting the end of a quoted sentence, insert an ellipsis between the last letter quoted and the punctuation mark of the original quote.

Example:

“The difference between actual and red flag knowledge is thus not between specific and generalized knowledge . . . .”

When omitting material at the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next sentence, use one ellipsis to mark the omission but include the final punctuation mark of the first sentence as well as bracket and capitalize the first letter of the following sentence.

Example:

“The difference between actual and red flag knowledge is thus not between specific and generalized knowledge . . . . [T]he red flag provision turns on whether the provider was subjectively aware of facts that would have made the specific infringement objectively obvious to a reasonable person.”

R8.3.6 Omission of a footnote or citation

When omitting a footnote or citation from quoted material, do not insert an ellipsis. Do insert a parenthetical indicating the omission immediately after the citation to the quoted source. See Rule R8.2.6.

R8.3.7 Omission of full sentences following the quoted material

When omitting material following a final punctuation mark, do not use an ellipsis.

Example:

“The difference between actual and red flag knowledge is thus not between specific and generalized knowledge, but instead between a subjective and an objective standard.”

Indigo Inkling

The ellipsis is traditionally made with four spaces and three periods . . . but computers have keyboard shortcuts to produce an ellipsis that constitutes one single character. For example, option-semicolon on an Apple keyboard produces … as its ellipsis shortcut. While the ellipsis shortcut character is not officially sanctioned in any citation manual, some practitioners use it freely in court filings.

Non-substantive tweaks to citations to meet a word count appear to be a modest but burgeoning trend. The 21st edition of The Bluebook breaks with tradition in allowing writers to omit previously required spaces in a citation such as 123 F. Supp. 2d 456, turning it into 123 F.Supp.2d 456. This unspaced citation may look incorrect to many legal readers. But if a legal writer is making choices to meet a difficult word count, we submit that the ellipsis shortcut key may be a worthwhile tradeoff as well.

R9 Block Quotations

R9.1 Basic Form of a Block Quotation

Set off quotations consisting of 50+ words into a block quotation, followed by the citation if not apparent from the introduction to the block quotation:

Example:

Georgia minimizes the OCGA annotations as non-binding and non-authoritative, but that description undersells their practical significance. Imagine a Georgia citizen interested in learning his legal rights and duties. If he reads the economy-class version of the Georgia Code available online, he will see laws requiring political candidates to pay hefty qualification fees (with no indigency exception), criminalizing broad categories of consensual sexual conduct, and exempting certain key evidence in criminal trials from standard evidentiary limitations—with no hint that important aspects of those laws have been held unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court. See OCGA §§ 21-2-131, 16-6-2, 16-6-18, 16-15-9 (available at www.legis.ga.gov). Meanwhile, first-class readers with access to the annotations will be assured that these laws are, in crucial respects, unenforceable relics that the legislature has not bothered to narrow or repeal. See §§ 21-2-131, 16-6-2, 16-6-18, 16-15-9 (available at https://store.lexisnexis.com/products/official-code-of-georgia-annotated-skuSKU6647 for $412.00).

Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, 140 S. Ct. 1498, 1512 (2020).

R9.2 Formatting of Block Quotations

Block quotations are single spaced.
Include a single line space after the block quotation, and resume the spacing convention in the surrounding document text.
Indent both left and right.
Block quotations should be formatted with “full justification.” The right and left margins of the block quotation are fully justified, meaning aligned on the left margin and on the right margin. The aligned left and right margins give the block quotation its appearance as a rectangular “block” of text on the page.
Do not use quotation marks surrounding the block quotation. The block format itself indicates that the material is a quotation, and quotation marks around a block would be redundant. (Exception: Use quotation marks if the entire block quotation is itself a quotation within the source being quoted, and indicate the internal quotation and source parenthetically after the block.)
In general, internal quotation marks should appear as in the original.
The citation following a block quotation should start at the line’s left margin, without any indentation. This citation can be a full citation or a short citation, as the circumstances dictate. It should include a pincite to the page or pages where the quoted material is found.

R10 Explanatory Parentheticals

Sometimes, it is helpful to include extra information to explain the relevance of certain citations. Explanatory parentheticals may consist of phrases typically started with a present participle such as (holding . . . ), direct quotations from the source, or short statements. Parentheticals also provide information about the weight of the authority cited, particularly with cases.

R10.1 Capitalization in Parentheticals

R10.1.1 Paraphrases and other original parentheticals

If not quoting the authority, do not begin an explanatory parenthetical with capital letter.

Example:

Dr. Seuss Enters., L.P. v. Penguin Books USA, Inc., 109 F.3d 1394 (9th Cir. 1997) (holding that publisher’s asserted parody of O.J. Simpson murder trial was substantially similar to copyrighted work).

R10.1.2 Quotations in parentheticals

If quoting the authority, only begin parenthetical with capital letter and end with a period when the parenthetical quoted is or reads as a complete sentence.

Example:

See Ty, Inc. v. Publ’ns Int’l Ltd., 292 F.3d 512, 520 (7th Cir. 2002) (“[T]he shortage that creates the secondary market stampedes children into nagging their parents to buy them the latest Beanie Babies, lest they be humiliated by not possessing the Beanie Babies that their peers possess.”).

R10.2 Format and Order of Parentheticals Showing the Weight of Authority

Some citations need to provide other types of parentheticals about the source itself, and these source-related parentheticals are given before explanatory parentheticals.

Examples of source-related parentheticals include information about a judicial opinion’s weight of authority as (per curiam) or (en banc), information about the source as a quote such as information being omitted or emphasis added, information about a source being quoted within the source, and bracketed definitions of the source as a short-form citation, such as [hereinafter “Color of Creatorship”].

The source-related parentheticals are followed by the explanatory parenthetical, if any; and last, the prior or subsequent history (see Rule R14) as shown in this order of parenthetical types:

(date) [hereinafter <short name>] (en banc) (<Lastname, J.>, concurring) (plurality opinion) (per curiam) (alteration in original) (emphasis added) (footnote omitted) (citations omitted) (quoting <another source>) (internal quotation marks omitted) (citing <another source>), http://www.domainname.com (explanatory parenthetical), prior or subsequent history.

B. CASES

Indigo Inkling

The format of traditional case citations derives from the historical print publication of bound reporters, such as West’s National Reporter System. The citation elements are based on the reporter’s volume number, title of the reporter including series number, and first page of the cited case. In June 2021, the famous reporter of federal appellate cases, the Federal Reporter, 3d published its last volume, turning over to the first volume of a new series, the Federal Reporter, 4th. Citations for federal appellate cases decided in the latter half of 2021 and beyond will be assigned citations along the lines of 123 F.4th 456. The Federal Reporter, 3d is a set of books for sale by West Publishing, and Federal Reporter, 4th no doubt will be as well. Most researchers do not lay their hands on these books, much less purchase them; still, the elements of traditional case citation derive directly from the West publication system.

Starting in the early 1990s, some states began adopting public-domain citations, also known as neutral citations, vendor-neutral citations, medium-neutral citations, and universal citations, because they do not rely on specific proprietary bound publications. A medium-neutral citation looks something like this: These states are shown in Table T3. The Indigo Book encourages the use of public domain citations. When giving a public domain citation, also include a parallel citation to the appropriate print reporter if possible. For example: Curlee by and through Becerra v. Johnson, 2021-NCSC-32, 856 S.E.2d 478.

R11 Full citation

R11.1 Elements of a Full Citation

When providing a full citation to a case, you should generally include the following, with the court and year enclosed within a single set of parentheses:

Italicized case name followed by an unitalicized comma
volume number, reporter, first page of the case in the reporter
comma, space, and pincite to an exact page
abbreviated court name (if not precisely apparent from the name of the reporter)
year

Case citations may also include the additional components such as a signal, subsequent history, parallel citations, and explanatory parentheticals. These additional components are sometimes required and sometimes discretionary, as determined by the case’s characteristics, the way the citation supports the text, applicable court rules, or other audience expectations.

Examples (federal):

Manhattan Cmty. Access Corp. v. Halleck, 139 S. Ct. 1921 (2019).

Seltzer v. Green Day, 725 F.3d 1170 (9th Cir. 2013).

Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. 2d 116, 127 (S.D.N.Y. 1999).

Examples (state):

SciGrip, Inc. v. Osae, 838 S.E.2d 334 (N.C. 2020).

People v. Lucero, 747 P.2d 660 (Colo. 1987).

Mercer Univ. v. Stofer, 841 S.E.2d 224 (Ga. Ct. App. 2020).

R11.1.1 Parallel citation

A case citation may also include parallel citation to another print reporter or online location for the case, such as a medium-neutral citation. When the print reporter unambiguously indicates the identity of the court, omit the court from duplication at the end of the citation. When the medium-neutral citation unambiguously indicates the court and year, either or both elements may be omitted from further duplication at the end of the citation.

Examples:

Mercer Univ. v. Stofer, 306 Ga. 191, 830 S.E.2d 169 (2019).

State ex rel. Pilarczyk v. Geauga Cty., 2019-Ohio-2880, 157 Ohio St. 3d 191, 134 N.E.3d 142.

USA Power LLC v. PacifiCorp, 2016 UT 20, 372 P.3d 629.

R11.1.2 Parentheticals

A case citation may also include one or more parentheticals after the main citation elements. Parentheticals, if any, ordered according to the following functions: (indicating the weight of authority such as en banc) (indicating the source of a quotation or cited assertion in the main assertion being supported) (indicating explanatory information), if required or permitted as shown in Rule R10.

Examples:

Barking Hound Village, LLC v. Monyak, 787 S.E.2d 191, 198 (Ga. 2016) (“the unique human-animal bond, while cherished, is beyond legal measure”).

Toolson v. N.Y. Yankees, Inc., 346 U.S. 356 (1953) (per curiam) (affirming baseball’s exemption from the scope of federal antitrust laws).

R11.1.3 Prior or subsequent history of the case

A case citation may also include prior or subsequent history, if required by Rule R14.

Example:

Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. 2d 116, 127 (S.D.N.Y. 1999), aff’d, 210 F.3d 88 (2d Cir. 2000) (per curiam).

R11.2 Case Names Italicized

In formatting a case citation, italicize everything in the case name, but don’t italicize the comma at the end of the case name.

R11.3 Comprehensive Case-Name Abbreviations in Citation Sentences and Clauses

Citation sentences and clauses stand apart from the traditional prose text, as shown in Rule R3. In citation sentences and clauses, use extensive word and geographical abbreviations as indicated in Table T11 and Table T12. These abbreviations must be followed in addition to the general rules for truncating case names in all contexts in Rule R11.5.

R11.3.1 Common word abbreviations

Abbreviate common words in case names according to Table T11.

Correct (in a citation sentence):

Cont’l Paper Bag Co. v. E. Paper Bag Co.

Incorrect (in a citation sentence):

Continental Paper Bag Company v. Eastern Paper Bag Company

R11.3.2 Geographical abbreviations (citation sentences and clauses)

Abbreviate geographical locations according to Table T12. Do not abbreviate a geographical place if it is one of the parties in the case.

Correct (in a citation sentence):

Church of Scientology of Cal. v. Blackman

Incorrect (in a citation sentence):

Church of Scientology of California v. Blackman

Correct (in a citation sentence):

South Dakota v. Fifteen Impounded Cats

Incorrect (in a citation sentence):

S.D. v. Fifteen Impounded Cats

R11.3.3 Discretionary abbreviations

If the resulting abbreviation is not ambiguous, words of eight or more letters may be abbreviated to save substantial space in citation sentences and clauses. As a guide, remember that citation sentences and clauses stand apart from the prose text they support, and thus can prioritize efficiency over readability; but clarity and preciseness are still important factors.

R11.4 Limited Case-Name Abbreviations in Textual Sentences

Textual sentences—i.e. grammatical prose for the reader, as opposed to citation “sentences” and clauses interspersed between textual sentences—may include case names and full or short case citations. When including a case name within a textual sentence, case-name abbreviations are sharply limited. The purpose is to prioritize sentence readability over citation efficiency. Case names within textual sentences should abbreviate well-known acronyms and the eight words listed in the table below. While abbreviations are limited, note that the general rules for truncating case names in R11.5 still apply. Thus, many words are omitted following R11.5, but the words that are included are not abbreviated unless allowed by this rule. The guiding principles are shortening long case names while preserving readability in textual sentences.

Abbreviations of Case Names Within Textual Sentences:

Abbreviation	Word
&	and
Ass’n	Association
Bros.	Brothers
Co.	Company
Corp.	Corporation
Inc.	Incorporated
Ltd.	Limited
No.	Number

Example:

In McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, the Supreme Court held that in a disparate treatment case, the plaintiff bears the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of employment discrimination. 411 U.S. 792 (1973).

Example:

According to Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, once the plaintiff has established a prima facie case, there is a rebuttable presumption of unlawful discrimination. 450 U.S. 248, 254 (1981).

R11.5 General Case Name Truncation for All Contexts

Many case-name truncations are used in all contexts, including citation sentences and clauses as well as in textual sentences incorporating case names. In citation sentences and clauses, the examples below would incorporate extensive word and geographical abbreviations following Rule R11.3 and Tables T11 and T12.

R11.5.1 Surname

When referring to a case with an individual’s name in the case name, use the person’s full family name (i.e., their surname). Delete first name and initials, except when the full name of the person is in a language that lists the surname first, or when referring to the name of a business or where the court has abbreviated the party’s surname (as is common in cases involving minor children as parties).

Examples:

Van Leeuwen v. Souto de Moura

James T. Kirk & Assocs. v. Luke S.

Smith v. Jones

Xu Lanting v. Wong

James T. Kirk & Assocs. v. Klingon Corp.

Luke S. v. Leia S.

R11.5.2 First-named party on each side of the “v.”

Only include the surname of the first-listed party of the plaintiffs and the surname of the first-listed party of the defendants. Do not use “et al.” to indicate omitted additional parties.

R11.5.3 Commonly recognized abbreviations

Abbreviate commonly recognized agencies and organizations by their initials, such as the SEC and the ACLU.

Examples:

Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 395 U.S. 367 (1969).

FBI v. Abramson, 456 U.S. 615 (1982).

Indigo Inkling

Legal citation allows—and indeed requires—abbreviation of commonly recognized organizations, such as NASA for the National Aeronautical and Space Administration and FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Obscure factoid: NASA is an abbreviation because it is drawn from the first letter of each word but pronounced as a word, whereas FBI is a sub-type of abbreviation called an initialism because it is drawn from the first letter of each word with each letter articulated separately in the spoken abbreviation.) But what, exactly, meets the standard for being commonly recognized? One useful test is to look at recent, credible journalism as a gauge of what is commonly known. For example, the New York Times abbreviates Environmental Protection Agency as EPA but does not abbreviate Fish and Wildlife Services as FWS. Another test is to informally survey at a handful of recent cases. For example, PETA and the USDA are used in case names, suggesting that they are commonly recognized, at least for legal-citation purposes.

But don’t overdo it with the acronyms; keep in mind the scolding Judge Silberman issued in a case before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: “The use of obscure acronyms, sometimes those made up for a particular case, is an aggravating development of the last twenty years.” Delaware Riverkeeper Network v. FERC, 753 F.3d 1304, 1321 (D.C. Cir. 2014) (Silberman, J., concurring). With this judge’s aggravation in mind, use only those abbreviations and acronyms that are easy to understand and make the reader’s work easier.

R11.5.4 Nicknames

Delete nicknames and aliases listed after a party name.

Correct:

Jackson v. Leviston

Incorrect:

Curtis James Jackson III, p/k/a 50 Cent v. Lastonia Leviston

R11.5.5 Et al.

Do not add “et al.” to indicate the omission of other parties not listed. Delete “et al.” even if used in a case caption indicating multiple parties.

Correct:

Zurich American Insurance Co. v. Nokia, Inc.

Incorrect:

Zurich American Insurance Co. et al. v. Nokia, Inc.

R11.5.6 Multiple business designations

Omit terms such as “L.L.C.” and “Inc.” that indicate the party is a business when that fact is made clear because the party name includes a word such as “Co.” or “Inc.”

Correct:

A.H. Robins Co. v. Piccinin

Incorrect:

A.H. Robins Co., Inc. v. Piccinin

R11.5.7 Procedural phrases

When you see “on the relation of,” “on behalf of,” and similar expressions, replace with “ex rel.”

Correct:

State ex rel. Plain Dealer v. Ohio Department of Insurance

Incorrect:

State on behalf of Plain Dealer v. Ohio Department of Insurance

When you see “in the matter of,” “petition of,” and similar expressions, replace with “In re.”

Correct:

In re National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation

Incorrect:

In the Matter of National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation

Bankruptcy cases sometimes contain multiple case names including both a procedurally based name with “In re” and an adversary case name. In such cases, use the adversary case name followed parenthetically in the case name with the procedurally based name:

Example:

Farmers Cooperative Co. v. Ernst & Young, Inc. (In re Big Sky Farms Inc.)

In non-bankruptcy cases, do not use “In re” when the case name also contains the name of an adversary; use the adversary name.

R11.5.8 United States as a party

Spell out “United States” when it is a named party. Omit “of America.”

Correct:

United States v. Ninety Five Barrels, More or Less

Incorrect:

U.S. v. Ninety Five Barrels, More or Less

Note that “United States” may be abbreviated as “U.S.” when used as an adjective for an agency, in citation sentences and clauses.

R11.5.9 State or commonwealth as a party

Omit “People of,” “State of,” and “Commonwealth of,” unless citing a court located in that state, in which case retain only “People,” “State,” or “Commonwealth.”

Correct:

International Shoe v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945).

Incorrect:

International Shoe v. State, 326 U.S. 310 (1945).

Incorrect:

International Shoe v. State of Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945).

Correct:

Commonwealth v. Miller, 987 A.2d 638 (Pa. 2009).

Incorrect:

Commonwealth of Pa. v. Miller, 987 A.2d 638 (Pa. 2009).

R11.5.10 Municipalities

Include phrases such as “Town of” and “City of” when such phrases are the first part of the name of a party. Omit phrases such as “Town of” and “City of” if the phrase appears in the middle or end of the name of a party.

Correct:

C & A Carbone v. Town of Clarkston

Incorrect:

C & A Carbone v. Clarkston

Correct:

Matter of Chestnut Ridge v. Town of Ramapo

Incorrect:

Matter of Village of Chestnut Ridge v. Town of Ramapo

R11.5.11 Prepositional phrases with locations

Include prepositional phrases designating national or larger geographical areas.

Correct:

Republic of Korea v. Ahn

Incorrect:

Republic v. Anh

Incorrect:

Korea v. Ahn

Include prepositional phrases indicating location after a municipal category such as “City of” or “Town of.”

Correct:

Florida Beach Advertising, LLC v. City of Treasure Island

Incorrect:

Florida Beach Advertising, LLC v. City

Include prepositional phrases indicating location when the phrase is part of a business or organizational name.

Correct:

Chattanooga Restaurant Partnership, Inc. v. City of Chattanooga Beer Bd.

Incorrect:

Chattanooga Restaurant Partnership Inc. v. City

Correct:

Kolibash v. Committee on Legal Ethics of the W.Va. Bar

Incorrect:

Kolibash v. Committee on Legal Ethics

Correct:

Dam Things from Denmark v. Russ Berrie & Co.

Incorrect:

Dam Things v. Russ Berrie & Co.

Include prepositional phrases indicating location to avoid a party name with only one word.

Correct:

ACLU of N.D. v. Jones

Incorrect:

ACLU v. Jones

Omit other prepositional phrases indicating location. Omit geographical information after a comma in a case name.

Correct:

Stevenson v. Board of Trade

Incorrect:

Stevenson v. Board of Trade of Colorado

Correct:

California Board of Commerce v. City of Sacramento

Incorrect:

California Board of Commerce v. City of Sacramento, California

R11.5.12 “The”

Delete “the” as the first word of a party’s name. Make an exception if the party is “The Queen” or the “The King,” or when referring to the established popular name in a citation or citation clause. Also retain “the” if it is part of the name of the object of an in rem action.

Correct:

International Society for Krishna Consciousness of California, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles

Incorrect:

International Society for Krishna Consciousness of California, Inc. v. The City of Los Angeles

Correct:

In re the Snug Harbor

Incorrect:

In re Snug Harbor

Correct:

The Railroad Commission Cases

Incorrect:

Railroad Commission Cases

R11.5.13 Commissioner of Internal Revenue

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should be cited as “Commissioner” (abbreviated as “Comm’r” in citation sentences and clauses).

Correct:

Plainfield-Union Water Co. v. Commissioner

Incorrect:

Plainfield-Union Water Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue

Incorrect:

Plainfield-Union Water Co. v. CIR

Incorrect:

Plainfield-Union Water Co. v. IRS

R11.5.14 Unions

Generally, follow the case name as reported. Widely known acronyms are allowed. But generally, omit additional information after the first full union designation.

Correct:

Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers

Incorrect:

Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, General Committee of Adjustment, Central Region

R11.5.15 Multiple dispositions

For cases with multiple dispositions, include an italicized identifier if useful. In subsequent references to or citations of that case, the identifier can replace the full case name.

Examples:

Liriano v. Hobart Corp. (Liriano II), 92 N.Y.2d 232 (1998).

Liriano v. Hobart Corp. (Liriano III), 170 F.3d 264, 266 (2d Cir. 1999) (citing Liriano II, 92 N.Y.2d at 236–37).

R11.5.16 Mandamus

If a mandamus action is known by the name of the judge against whom the writ is sought, that name can be indicated in an italicized parenthetical.

Example:

Jones v. U.S. District Court (Smith), 89 U.S. 233 (2011).

R11.5.17 Cases known by a distinct name

If a case is known both by the reported name and a distinct short form name, always include the reported name in a full citation. The short name may be included in italics in a parenthetical.

Example:

Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO v. American Petroleum Institute (The Benzene Case)

Indigo Inkling

There are multiple ways to incorporate a case citation in the text of an article, brief, or other written work. In the example below, the case name is stated in the text and the rest of the citation is included as a separate sentence.

In McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, the Supreme Court held that in a disparate treatment case, the plaintiff bears the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of employment discrimination. 411 U.S. 792 (1973).

Alternatively, one can include the entire citation in-text as follows:

In McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), the Supreme Court held that in a disparate treatment case, the plaintiff bears the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of employment discrimination.

There is no strict rule here, so choose whichever method will be clearer to the reader.

R11.6 Volume Number, Reporter, First Page

The citation should include the volume number of the reporter, the abbreviated name of the reporter, and the first page of the case in that reporter.

Example:

Terrible v. Terrible, 534 P.2d 919 (Nev. 1975).

R11.6.1 Overview of volumes, reporters, and pages

This table provides an overview of federal and state citations, with the citation given at left and the full corresponding volume, reporter, and page number at right. Imagine books on the shelf with the name of the reporter and volume number shown on the book’s spine. Open that volume to the page given, to find the beginning of the case.

Citation	Reporter
Demosthenes v. Baal, 495 U.S. 731 (1990).	Vol. 495, p. 731 of United States Reports
United States v. $124,570 U.S. Currency, 873 F.2d 1240 (9th Cir. 1989).	Vol. 873, p. 1240 of Federal Reporter, Second Series
Gucci America, Inc. v. Guess?, Inc., 831 F. Supp. 2d 723 (S.D.N.Y. 2011).	Vol. 831, p. 723 of Federal Supplement, Second Series
Hamburger v. Fry, 338 P.2d 1088 (Okla. 1958).	Vol. 338, p. 1088 of Pacific Reporter, Second Series
Camp v. Superman, 119 Vt. 62 (1955).	Vol. 119, p. 62 of Vermont Reports

R11.6.2 Reporter and series

Federal and state jurisdictions are listed in Table T1 (federal cases) and Table T3 (state cases), including the reporters where their cases are published. Here is a key overview of the reporters containing federal and state cases.

United States Supreme Court cases are printed in the official United States Reports, cited as <vol.> U.S. <page>. The publication of the United States Reports is significantly delayed from opinions’ decision date, although in October Term 2022, the Court began to release preliminary pagination for some cases. Where pagination is available, the United States Reports citation should be used. Otherwise and until the official citation and pagination are released, use West’s Supreme Court Reporter (abbreviated S. Ct.).

Cases decided by the United States Circuit Courts are printed in the Federal Reporter, Fourth Series (F.4th) starting with cases in July 2021, then F.3d, F.2d, and F. for older cases.

Federal district court cases are printed in the Federal Supplement, Second Series (F. Supp. 2d), and F. Supp. for older cases.

Federal cases not selected for publication may be available in the Federal Appendix or other unofficial reporters.

For state cases, choose the reporter listed in Table T3 for state cases whenever available. The standard national citation practice is to cite to the West National Reporter System although many states have a state-specific official reporter or official public-domain citation system (not reliant on a private publisher’s system). Local customs and court rules vary from the standard national citation practice, as represented in Table T3.

Indigo Inkling

For citations to state cases, the case reporter prioritized by Rule R11.3 and Table T3 may not always be available to researchers using open-access legal information. For example, an internet site providing free access to cases may provide citation information for the official state reporter in that state, rather than the West National Reporter prioritized in the table.

If you are attempting to conduct case research using free open-access sources, do your best to adhere to utilize the preferred reporter in Table T3. It may be necessary to use a reliable second choice, such as the official state reporter or the state’s official medium-neutral citation format. Try to find cases as published in a reporter with a stable citation, rather than the original slip copy published by the court the day it decided the case.

R11.6.3 Parallel citation in state court documents

When submitting documents to state courts, follow the local rules for citations, selectively indicated in Table T3. State courts’ local rules often require a parallel citation: i.e., a citation to both the official state reporter, followed by the unofficial regional and/or state-specific reporter. Each reporter will have different page numbers, so provide a pincite for each. Also, when the official reporter title makes the state or court name apparent, don’t include it again in parentheses.

Example (without pincites):

Harden v. Playboy Enterprises, Inc., 261 Ill. App. 3d 443, 633 N.E.2d 764 (1993).

Example (with pincites):

Harden v. Playboy Enterprises, Inc., 261 Ill. App. 3d 443, 444, 633 N.E.2d 764, 765 (1993).

R11.7 Pincites

Each case citation, whether full or short, should include a pincite to direct the reader to the specific page being cited.

In a full citation to a case, include a pincite after the first page where the case is found in the reporter. If the pincite is the first page of the opinion, be sure to still include it by just repeating the number. Pincites are required in both full and short citations when those citations support a reference to a specific page of the case. See Rule R15 on short citations for cases and Rule R6 on full and short citations generally.

Pincites can be used to identify the page source for content of an explanatory parenthetical. Pincites can also be used to identify the page source for content in the textual sentence supported by the citations sentence or clause that follows.

Examples:

Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc., 296 F.3d 894, 908 (9th Cir. 2002) (“The parties are advised to chill.”).

Judicial attempts at humor are not new. As the Georgia Court of Appeals quipped in the mid-1970s, “The D.A. was ready. His case was red-hot. Defendant was present, His witness was not.” Brown v. State, 216 S.E.2d 356, 356 (Ga. Ct. App. 1975) (reversing conviction).

Judicial humor is not new, e.g., Brown v. State, 216 S.E.2d 356, 356 (Ga. Ct. App. 1975); and neither is academic critique of it as generally “a dreadful thing,” William Prosser, The Judicial Humorist vii (1952).

R11.7.1 Multiple pages

Use a comma or commas to indicate a pincite to multiple non-sequential pages.

Example:

Gordon v. Secretary of State of New Jersey, 460 F. Supp. 1026, 1026, 1028 (D.N.J. 1978) (dismissing a complaint charging that plaintiff, by reason of his illegal incarceration in jail, had been deprived of the office of the President of the United States).

R11.7.2 Span of pages

Use a hyphen or en dash to indicate a pincite to a span of pages.

Example:

Helton v. State, 311 So. 2d 381, 382-84 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1975) (reciting the prosecutor’s closing arguments in a parody of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”).

R11.7.3 Paragraph numbers in medium-neutral cases

Use a paragraph symbol and the paragraph number to pincite to a case published in medium-neutral format. To refer to a span of paragraphs in the case, use two paragraphs symbols and numbers indicating the cited span, separated by a hyphen or en dash.

Examples:

Couch v. Durrani, 2021-Ohio-726, ¶ 9 (Ct. App. 2021).

Couch v. Durrani, 2021-Ohio-726, ¶ ¶ 9-15 (Ct. App. 2021).

Couch, 2021-Ohio-726, ¶ 15.

Id. ¶ 18.

R11.7.4 Citing a footnote

To cite a footnote, provide a page number followed immediately with a footnote number, using “n.” to show footnote number. There is no space between “n.” and the footnote number.

Example:

Cunningham v. State, 822 S.E.2d 281, 285 n.4 (Ga. 2018) (Hunstein, J.) (“And that’s all she wrote.”)

R12 Court and Year

R12.1 Overview of Court and Year

Citations should include both the deciding court and the year of decision in parentheses. Use Table T1 for federal cases and Table T3 for state cases. If these tables do not provide the needed abbreviation information, construct an abbreviation using Table T9 and Table T12 for court and geographical abbreviations.

Examples:

Learning Curve Toys, Inc. v. PlayWood Toys, Inc., 342 F.3d 714 (7th Cir. 2003).

Mattel, Inc. v. MGA Ent. Inc., 782 F. Supp. 2d 911 (C.D. Cal. 2011).

Barking Hound Village, LLC v. Monyak, 787 S.E.2d 191 (Ga. 2016).

Alexander v. Gen. Acc. Fire & Life Assurance Corp., 98 So. 2d 730 (La. Ct. App. 1957).

R12.2 Court Abbreviations

See Table T1 for how to abbreviate the names of all U.S. federal courts. See Table T3 for how to abbreviate the names of U.S. state courts. The chart here shows common examples.

Court	Guidance on Reporter Selection and Court Abbreviation	Example
United States Supreme Court	Use U.S. if the opinion is published in the United States Reports. If not, use S. Ct. Refer to Table T1 for additional options if U.S. and S. Ct. do not apply.	Two Pesos, Inc. v. Taco Cabana, Inc., 505 U.S. 763 (1992). Google LLC v. Oracle Am., Inc., 141 S. Ct. 1183 (2021).
United States Courts of Appeals	Either F., F.2d, F.3d, or F.4th depending on the decision.	Batman v. Commissioner, 189 F.2d 107 (5th Cir. 1951). Nance v. United States, 299 F.2d 122, 124 (D.C. Cir. 1962) (“How do you know it was me, when I had a handkerchief over my face?”).
United States District Courts	Either F. Supp. or F. Supp. 2d depending on the decision.	Frigaliment Importing Co. v. B.N.S. Int’l Sales Corp., 190 F. Supp. 116, 117 (S.D.N.Y. 1960). Cartier v. Aaron Faber Inc., 512 F. Supp. 2d 165 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).
State High Courts	Cite to the regional reporter for the region in which the court sits, if the opinion appears there. If not, cite to the state’s official reporter, as listed in Table T3. The state’s preferred official reporter may be a public domain (i.e., medium neutral) citation. See Table T3.	Terrible v. Terrible, 534 P.2d 919 (Nev. 1975). State v. One 1970 2-Door Sedan Rambler, 136 N.W. 59 (Neb. 1974).
Other State Courts	Cite to the regional reporter for the region in which the court sits, if the opinion appears there. If not, cite to the state’s official reporter in Table T3. The state’s preferred official reporter may be a medium-neutral citation. See Table T3. Use Tables T9 and T12 to construct an abbreviation if not contained in Tables T1 and T3.	Brown v. Swindell, 198 So. 2d 432, 434 (La. Ct. App. 1967). State v. Stroud, 30 Wash. App. 392 (1981). State v. Russell, 2020-Ohio-5108 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

R12.3 Intermediate appellate departments or divisions

R12.3.1 General rule of omission

In general, do not indicate the departments or divisions of intermediate appellate courts.

Correct:

Hamel v. Emp. Sec. Dep't, 966 P.2d 1282 (Wash. Ct. App. 1998).

Incorrect:

Hamel v. Emp. Sec. Dep't, 966 P.2d 1282 (Wash. Ct. App., Div. 2 1998).

R12.3.2 Exceptions for including intermediate appellate department or division

Where intermediate appellate departments or divisions are relevant to the point being made in the text, or where local the court rules require citations to include this information. See Table T3 for more information on state jurisdictions such as Florida and Texas where this information is required and where the format for such citations varies in local practice. For standard legal documents seeking a uniform national approach, add the department or division information to be clear and, if possible, consistent with the general uniform standard for citations to intermediate appellate courts.

Example:

Before the Florida Supreme Court addressed the question in 2018, Florida District Courts of Appeals were split on whether judges must disqualify themselves from deciding a case when they are social-media connections with one or more attorneys in that case. Compare L. Offs. of Herssein & Herssein, P.A. v. USAA, 229 So. 3d 408 (Fla. 3d Dist. Ct. App. 2017), approved by 271 So. 3d 889 (Fla. 2018), with Domville v. State, 103 So. 3d 184 (Fla. 4th Dist. Ct. App. 2012), disapproved by L. Offs. of Herssein & Herssein, P.A. v. USAA, 271 So. 3d 889 (Fla. 2018).

Indigo Inkling

Court abbreviations in case citations convey crucial information. For example, a case citing “N.Y.” refers to the highest court in the state of New York—the New York Court of Appeals. But “N.Y. Sup. Ct.” is the proper abbreviation for the New York Supreme Court—which some will be surprised to know is the name of the trial-level court in the state of New York, not the state high court. Generally see Table T12 for the correct abbreviation for each state; and specifically see Table T3 and official state-court websites to confirm the name and level of each court. Finally, refer to Table T9 for general court abbreviations.

R12.3 Duplicative Court and Year Information

R12.3.1 Court indicated by reporter

If the identity of the court is clearly and unambiguously indicated by the reporter’s name, do not include the court in the parenthetical information with the year. When writing to a court and governed by local rules requiring parallel citations, the court’s identity may be indicated by required parallel citation information.

Examples:

Kewanee Oil Corp. v. Bicron Co., 416 U.S. 470 (1974).

Wexler v. Greenberg, 399 Pa. 569, 160 A.2d 430 (1960).

R12.3.2 Year indicated in medium-neutral citation

When using a medium-neutral citation format (alone or in a parallel citation), if the year of the decision is clearly and unambiguously indicated by the citation format, do not duplicate the year in the parenthetical information.

Examples:

Water & Energy Sys. Tech., Inc. v. Keil, 1999 UT 16, 979 P.2d 829.

Failor v. Megadyne Med. Prods., Inc., 2009 UT App. 179, 213 P.3d 899.

R12.4 Special Note on Pending and Unreported or Unpublished Cases

Some opinions are so new and pending that they have not yet been assigned to reporters. These early opinions are referred to as “slip opinions,” presumably because they are (or historically, were) rendered on slips of paper rather than in printed bound volumes.

Some opinions are designated “not for publication” by the issuing court and will never be assigned an official reporter citation. Pending and unreported cases generally can be found in one of the following three source below.

R12.4.1 Pending cases in LEXIS and Westlaw or other commercial database

Citations to these electronic databases are similar to regular citations, using the database code from LEXIS or Westlaw as a substitute for the (non-existent) reporter citation. Pending-case citations have two additional components: (a) add the docket number before the database code, and (b) include the full calendar date of the decision in the following parenthetical, not just the year. Pincites are indicated with “at” and a * attached to the page number.

Citations to these electronic databases should be formatted as follows: <Case Name>, <case docket number>, <database identifier and electronic report number>, at *<star page number> <(court, full date)>.

Examples:

Yates v. United States, No. 13–7451, 2015 U.S. LEXIS 1503, at *40 (Feb. 25, 2015).

State v. Green, No. 2012AP1475–CR, 2013 WL 5811261, at *7 (Wis. Ct. App. Oct. 30, 2013).

R12.4.2 Opinions only available online, but not in a commercial database

Some cases, particularly ones that are immediately pending, may initially be accessed only through a court’s website. If so, include the exact docket number or numbers, as well as the URL.

Example:

Macy’s Inc. v. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., No. 1728, slip op. at 1 (N.Y. App. Div. Feb. 26, 2015), http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2015/2015_01728.htm.

Indigo Inkling

The Law Librarians for Indigenous Inclusive Citation Practices advocates for The Bluebook—and uniform citation practices generally—to include information on citing Indigenous sources of law. As they note on their website at www.lawlibrariansforindigenousinclusivecitationpractices.org, “[t]he 574 tribal governments in this country produce thousands of statutes, regulations, and case law each year that collectively bind millions of Americans.”

For standard legal documents, we would advise generally following the rules shown in The Indigo Book, in concert with applicable tribal court rules. Tribal code citations may follow the same basic format shown in Rules R16-R17, for example:

15. N.N.C. § 614(A) (as amended by Navajo Nation Council Resolution No. CO-48-14, Nov. 7, 2014).

A case decided by a tribal judicial authority may be able to be cited consistently with Rule R11 by name, reporter, and volume—if it is printed in one of the tribal law reporters. Or it may be cited using the format for slip opinions and cases found exclusively online (R12.4.2).

Navajo Nation v. Hunter, 7 Nav. R. 194, 195 (Nav. Sup. Ct. 1996).

Corp. of the Pres. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Window Rock Dist. Ct., No. SC-CV-42-18, 2018 WL 7149968 (Nav. Sup. Ct. Dec. 28, 2018).

In re Lotus Justice, No. SC-2022-01, slip op. (Cherokee Sup. Ct. Feb. 14, 2022), https://www.cherokeecourts.org/Portals/cherokeecourts/Documents/Supreme%20Court/Order%20and%20Opinions/SC-22-01%202-Notice%202-14-22.pdf?ver=2022-02-14-142814-147

Abbreviations for tribal sources can be found at reference sites for Indigenous and Tribal Law such as the National Indian Law Library including its Tribal Law Gateway and Research Guides, http://www.narf.org/nill/triballaw/index.html. A table of tribal nations is available at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Leaders Directory for federally recognized tribes, https://www.bia.gov/service/tribal-leaders-directory. Many U.S. and Canadian law schools also have helpful research guides posted on their law library websites. For academic legal documents, follow the citation conventions set forth at the relevant publication.

R13 Weight of Authority and Explanatory Parenthetical

R13.1 Parenthetical for Weight of Authority

To highlight information regarding the weight of the cited authority (such as for concurring and dissenting opinions), insert an additional parenthetical after the date parenthetical. Remember to separate the parentheticals with a space.

Examples:

United States v. Leggett, 23 F.3d 409 (6th Cir. 1994) (unpublished table decision).

Ward v. Rock Against Racism, 491 U.S. 781 (1989) (Marshall, J., dissenting).

Harris v. State, 887 S.W.2d 514 (Ark. 1994) (per curiam).

Dep’t of Revenue v. James B. Beam Distilling Co., 377 U.S. 341, 349 (1964) (7–2 decision) (Black, J., dissenting).

R13.2 Optional Explanatory Parenthetical

To provide a supporting partial quotation or to explain the proposition for which the case stands, insert an explanatory parenthetical. See Rule R10 on the order of explanatory parentheticals with other parenthetical material and subsequent history.

Examples:

Stambovsky v. Ackley, 572 N.Y.S.2d 672, 674 (App. Div. 1991) (“[A]s a matter of law, the house is haunted.”).

People v. Foranyic, 74 Cal. Rptr. 2d 804, 807 (Ct. App. 1998) (holding that police have probable cause to detain someone they see riding a bike at 3 a.m., carrying an axe).

Dep’t of Revenue v. James B. Beam Distilling Co., 377 U.S. 341, 349 (1964) (7–2 decision) (Black, J., dissenting) (disagreeing with Justice Goldberg as to the relative merits of bourbon and scotch).

Indigo Inkling

The United States Supreme Court is famous for hearing oral arguments and issuing judicial opinions, but it has recently increased the practice of making decisions through the so-called “shadow docket.” E.g., Stephen I. Vladeck, The Solicitor General and the Shadow Docket, 133 Harv. L. Rev. 123 (2019); William Baude, Foreword: The Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket, 9 N.Y.U. J.L. & Liberty 1 (2015). These rulings are issued without full briefing and argument and, in many cases, without identifying a particular justice as the author.

To cite Supreme Court dispositions on its shadow docket, follow Indigo Book Rules R11-R12 on cases citations to the extent possible. For example, provide a citation to Supreme Court Reports until the official United States Reports citation with pagination becomes available.

A parenthetical may be used to indicate the type of ruling, following the title or other information provided with the ruling:

Tandon v. Newsom, 141 S. Ct. 1294 (2021) (per curiam).

Maryland v. King, 133 S. Ct. 1 (2012) (Roberts, C.J., in chambers).

Use the above parentheticals only if the disposition explictly indicates it is per curiam or issued by a particular justice in chambers. Other rulings are not labeled as per curiam or signed in chambers. The traditional rule for citing such decisions was to add the parenthetical “(mem.)” after the citation:

United States v. Higgs, 141 S. Ct. 645 (2021) (mem.).

The decisions falling into this category are not typically labeled “memorandum” by the Court itself; rather, this label comes from traditional citation practice to indicate what would otherwise look the same as a full opinion. Thus, we submit that other more descriptive parentheticals may be used in addition to or instead of (mem.) to indicate the posture of the decision:

United States v. Higgs, 141 S. Ct. 645 (2021) (emergency vacatur of stay and reversal, designating Indiana as state for inmate’s execution under 18 U.S.C. § 3596).

Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, 141 S. Ct. 2494 (2021) (mem.) (unsigned, on application for injunctive relief).

Shadow-docket decisions by the majority of the Court can be, and recently often are, accompanied by signed concurring or dissenting opinions. Dissents and other statements attached to the decision may be indicated in a similar fashion to concurrences and dissents from fully argued opinions on the merits. When one justice concurs or dissents in an opinion attached to a shadow docket decision and one or more justices join that opinion, indicate only the authoring justice. Indicate a pincite to concurring or dissenting opinions. The parenthetical (mem.) or other appropriate notation may optionally be included as well, to indicate that the concurrence or dissent is referring to an action that does not itself constitute a full formal opinion.

Ala. Ass’n of Realtors v. Dep’t of Health & Hum. Servs., 141 S. Ct. 2485, 2485 (2021) (mem.) (Roberts, C.J., concurring).

United States v. Higgs, 141 S. Ct. 645, 647 (2021) (Sotomayor, J., dissenting from vote).

R14 History of the Case

R14.1 Subsequent History

When citing a case, include the subsequent history of the case, subject to several exceptions. Refer to Table T14 for how to abbreviate explanatory phrases when introducing case history. Italicize the explanatory phrase.

Indigo Inkling

The United States is a common law system, where court decisions play an important role in defining what the law is. To figure out the difference between good law and bad law, we have to look at the case’s subsequent history to make sure it was not vacated or reversed on the point being relied upon in a cited assertion. These types of important subsequent history are required by the Uniform System of Citation. On the other hand, some subsequent history is generally unimportant and should be omitted from the citation. Examples include the denial of a motion for reconsideration, or the denial of a petition for certiorari in a case decided more than two years ago. See Table T3 for some state-specific variations, and of course follow local practice and local court rules on subsequent history.

Note that subsequent history is the history of that particular case in litigation. If a different case (unrelated parties but a similar legal issue) later overrules an older case’s holding, that case is no longer good law for that point—but subsequent history is not involved in the citation. This is but one example of how legal citation overlaps with legal analysis itself. If a writer is citing a case that was later overruled, the writer should not simply polish the citation’s mandatory subsequent history, but rather re-consider why to cite that “bad law” in the first place.

R14.2 Required Explanatory Phrases

Include subsequent history when necessary to protect credibility or clarify the weight of authority for the statement the citation supports. This includes most subsequent history except denials of rehearings or discretionary appeals. This also includes history on remand (which, by its nature, advances the litigation but does not change the law issued from a higher court on appeal), unless relevant to the point being made.

R14.2.1 Direct subsequent history of the litigation

Always incorporate the following explanatory phrases when applicable, italicized, and followed by a comma and the citation information for the subsequent history. Include other subsequent history commensurate with this list, to indicate the weight of authority and whether the primary case being cited is good law for all or any points.

Required Subsequent History
aff’d	Case was affirmed by a higher court in the same litigation.
cert. granted	Case is subject to a pending petition for certiorari that the higher court has granted.
rev’d	Case has been reversed. Note this subsequent history can be combined with rev’d en banc where applicable.
rev’d on other grounds	Case has been reversed on a different ground other than the one for which it is being cited.
cert. denied (only when citing a case decided less than two years ago, to show finality or for a specific point)	Case was potentially subject to a petition for certiorari, which was in fact filed but denied (thus showing this case’s finality).
vacated vacated as moot	Case was vacated and is no longer good law. Use vacated as moot where the court so indicates.

Examples:

In re Verizon Internet Servs., Inc., 257 F. Supp. 2d 244 (D.D.C. 2003), rev’d on other grounds, Recording Indus. Ass’n of Am., Inc. v. Verizon Internet Servs., Inc., 351 F.3d 1229 (D.C. Cir. 2003).

—Note: This subsequent history is always required because the primary case being cited has been reversed on at least one basis.

B.L. v. Mahanoy Area Sch. Dist., 964 F.3d 170 (3d Cir. 2020), cert. granted, No. 20-255 (Jan. 8, 2021).

—Note: This would be an appropriate citation while the Supreme Court’s decision and opinion remained pending. After the opinion, it is unlikely that this citation would be needed since the Supreme Court opinion itself is the final authority.

The district court’s decision withstood all layers of federal-appellate review. Energy & Env't Legal Inst. v. Epel, 43 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (D. Colo. 2014), aff’d, 793 F.3d 1169 (10th Cir. 2015), cert. denied, 577 U.S. 1043 (2015).

—Note: This denial of certiorari is included because it is integral to the sentence’s claim. This denial of certiorari would be appropriate even after the two-year period for including denial of petitions for certiorari had expired.

R14.2.2 Indirect subsequent history and legislative or constitutional subsequent history

Include indirect history from other subsequent litigations or collateral litigation when the indirect history is directly negative or necessary for the point being made. The clearest example is overruled by <x>.

Include subsequent history when a case is superseded by statute or by a constitutional amendment. The subsequent legislative or constitutional history may be noted through a further (discretionary) subsequent history notation of a case recognizing it as such.

Examples:

Hemerley v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 379 N.W.2d 860 (Wis. Ct. App. 1985), overruled by Hull v. St. Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 586 N.W.2d 863 (Wis. 1998).

Schuster v. Derocili, 775 A.2d 1029 (Del. 2001), superseded by statute, 19 Del. Code Ann. § 712(b) (2005), as recognized in Yatzus v. Appoquinimink Sch. Dist., 458 F. Supp. 2d 235 (D. Del. 2006).

R14.3 Renamed Cases

When the case has a different name in the subsequent history, provide the new case name after the italicized phrase “sub nom.” (“under the name of”). There is no comma after sub nom.

Example:

Lerman v. Comm’r, 939 F.2d 44 (3d Cir. 1991), rev’d sub nom. Horn v. Comm’r, 968 F.2d 1229 (D.C. Cir. 1992).

Do not provide the new case name if either the parties’ names are merely reversed or if the subsequent history is simply a denial of certiorari or rehearing:

Correct:

United States v. Schmuck, 840 F.2d 384 (7th Cir. 1988), aff’d, 489 U.S. 705 (1989).

Incorrect:

United States v. Schmuck, 840 F.2d 384 (7th Cir. 1988), aff’d, Schmuck v. United States, 489 U.S. 705 (1989).

R14.4 Enslaved Persons

When the case involved an enslaved person or people as parties or at issue in the case, add a parenthetical so indicating.

Example:

Rives v. Wilborne, 6 Ala. 45, 47 (1844) (enslaved people at issue).

Indigo Inkling

Legal citation is not just a set of formatting rules, but an expression of ethics, an expression extending far beyond the dictate to literally cite one’s sources. The ethical dimensions of legal citation encompass its broader impacts such as how these rules socialize new lawyers-in-training, how they function within the legal world, what they represent about law and its practitioners, what they omit, and what effects they cast over the law’s sphere of influence. See, e.g., Susie Salmon, Shedding the Uniform: Beyond a “Uniform System of Citation” to a More Efficient Fit, 99 Marq. L. Rev. 763 (2016); Jennifer Elisa Chapman, Citation Ethics: Towards an Ethical Framework of Legal Citation, in The Role of Citation in the Law: A Yale Law School Symposium (Michael Chiorazzi ed., 2022), available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3856202. Citation of cases involving enslaved persons are one example. Historically, these cases were cited no differently than any other case. As of January 2021, the latest printing of The Bluebook (21st ed.) added a rule to expand the citation for such cases, which must now include a parenthetical indicating that an enslaved person or people were parties or at issue in the case. This Second Edition of The Indigo Book expresses this rule and welcomes the continued examination of legal citation rules and practices.

R15 Short Form Citation for Cases

R15.1 Short Citations in Text

Once a case has been cited in full, you may refer to the case by a short-citation form. Specifically, you may refer to the case name in a textual sentence and provide shortened citation information after the sentence.

For the case name, use the chosen party’s name—usually the first-named party’s name—consistent with these rules for selecting a short-form citation and consistent with the abbreviation rules in Rule R11 for all case names (full citation or short citation). For the citation format, include the volume of the reporter, the reporter, the word “at” and the pincite to the page being cited.

Within the text sentence or (preferably) after the text sentence, provide a truncated citation sentence in the form of <volume> <Name of Reporter> at <pincite>.

Examples:

The court in Fenton also held the lower court erred in awarding damages based on loss of fair market value of property due to the flying balls. 233 N.E.2d at 219.

As the court further noted in Fenton, 233 N.E.2d at 219, the lower court erred in awarding damages based on loss of fair market value of property due to the flying balls.

R15.2 Short Citations in Citation Sentences and Clauses

Case names can be long, so various short-citation forms must be used when referring to the same case repeatedly in sequence or in scattered, interspersed references. Id. is the preferred reference if it can be used as noted below, because it is the most concise. But other short forms are frequently required for interspersed references throughout a legal document.

R15.2.1 When a short form may be used

Once a case has been cited in full, you may refer to the case by a short-citation form. Specifically, you provide a short-form citation sentence or clause with truncated information compared to the full citation. The reference must be unambiguous, and the full citation must be easily accessible earlier in the text.

Discretion may be applied to repeat the full-citation form later in a document when useful to the reader, such as after five short-form uses of id., five footnotes using id., or after a new heading or page break.

R15.2.2 Form of short citations

In general, the short citation uses the first-named party in the case name. As with full citations, the case name is italicized but the comma after the case name is not italicized. The shortened citation form omits the “v.” (for versus) and second-named party after the “v.” The shortened citation form also omits the first page of the case as found in the reporter, and simply provides an “at” with the pincite.

For cases, a short form citation usually includes: <The First Party of the Case Name>, <volume number> <Reporter> at <pincite>. As shown in Rule R15.1, if the shortened case name is incorporated into the textual sentence, do not repeat that shortened name in the short-form citation after the textual sentence.

Examples (where case name not part of preceding textual sentence):

Fenton, 233 N.E.2d at 219.

Malletier, 500 F. Supp. 2d at 281.

R15.2.3 Exceptions to using the first party of the case name

Do not use the first party of the case name if that party either is a geographical or governmental unit or a party name that is used for multiple cases. Choose the second party name if needed to avoid confusion.

Examples:

United States v. Carmel, 548 F.3d 571 (7th Cir. 2008) becomes Carmel, 548 F.3d at 573.

Gonzalez v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (2005) becomes Raich, 545 U.S. at 8.

R15.2.4 Shortening party names

Shorten a long party name, but only if the shortening saves significant useful space and if the reference remains clear. Use a [hereinafter <x>] designation if needed.

Examples:

Home Depot USA, Inc. v. Jackson, 139 S. Ct. 1743, 1744 (2019) becomes Home Depot, 139 S. Ct. at 1744.

A Book Named “John Cleland’s Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure” v. Attorney Gen. of Mass., 383 U.S. 413, 418 (1966) [hereinafter, Memoirs] can then become Memoirs, 383 U.S. at 418.

R15.3 Id.

R15.3.1 Id. with immediately preceding citation (same page of case)

If you are citing to the same case referenced in the immediately preceding citation, use id. as the short form citation. Id. by itself refers to the same case and same pincite in that case.

Example:

When the author of a work is a judge or legislator, it carries the force of law and cannot be copyrighted. Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, 140 S. Ct. 1498, 1513 (2020). To hold otherwise would be to discourage the use of “official legal works that illuminate the law we are all presumed to know and understand.” Id.

R15.3.2 Id. with immediately preceding citation (different page)

If you are referring to the immediately preceding case, but to a different page, use id. at <pincite>.

Example:

Fair use is ultimately a legal question because the question “primarily involves legal work.” Google LLC v. Oracle Am., Inc., 141 S. Ct. 1183, 1199 (2021). Although “subsidiary factual questions” may be involved, the ultimate question is legal rather than factual. Id. at 1200.

R15.3.3 Id. forbidden with string citations and ambiguous references

Id. should be used only if the preceding citation cites to one source.

Correct:

In examining the third factor—the proximity of the parties’ products in the marketplace—courts assess whether the parties occupy “distinct merchandising markets.” Naked Cowboy v. CBS, 844 F. Supp. 2d 510, 517-18 (S.D.N.Y. 2012). For example, would an unsophisticated viewer confuse the source of the long-running daytime television series with another party’s street performances or his souvenirs? Id.

Incorrect:

In examining the third factor—the proximity of the parties’ products in the marketplace—courts assess whether the parties occupy “distinct merchandising markets.” Hormel Foods Corp. v. Jim Henson Prods., Inc., 73 F.3d 497, 504 (2d Cir. 1996); Naked Cowboy v. CBS, 844 F. Supp. 2d 510, 517-18 (S.D.N.Y. 2012). For example, would an unsophisticated viewer confuse the source of the long-running daytime television series with another party’s street performances or his souvenirs? Id.

Correct:

Indigo Inkling

The short form id.—capitalized as Id. when it starts a citation sentence—can be used only to refer to the immediately preceding citation. The standard for what is immediately preceding is strict. Do not use id. simply because a full citation has been given somewhere at some point previously in the text; it is not catchall short citation but must be tailored to context. Id. can be used after a citation to a single source (a full or a short citation, the important characteristic being a citation to one and only one source). Id. cannot follow a string citation listing two or more sources. It also cannot be used after any intervening textual reference, such as mentioning a different case or other authority by name. Citing multiple sources in a string or mentioning other intervening sources creates possible ambiguity and thus makes id. unhelpful and incorrect.

There is one exception to this strict construction of when to use id. If the preceding citation includes a parenthetical citing a case within that parenthetical, that citation-within-a-citation does not foreclose the use of id. In that scenario, id. may be used to cite back to the immediately preceding citation to which the citation-within-a-citation is attached. Thus, a source cited parenthetically does not become the immediately preceding citation. This is structurally different from a string citation. Do not use id. after a string citation, even to attempt to refer to the final citation in the string.

C. STATUTES, RULES, REGULATIONS, AND OTHER LEGISLATIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE MATERIALS

R16 Federal Statutes

Indigo Inkling

Federal statutes, like most state statutes, use the § symbol to indicate the specific codified section. Traditionally, the section symbol is always followed by a space—for example, § 107 or §§ 106-107 for a span of sections.

Even though the Uniform System of Citation dictates a space between § and the section number, sometimes in practice that space is intentionally and systematically omitted. The United States Supreme Court itself does not use the space, and some SCOTUS briefs do while others do not (per an unscientific review of 2021 opinions and briefs). The decision may be strategic in briefs subject to a word-count rule such as the 13,000-word maximum imposed by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32. The Bluebook, however, does not on its face permit this deviation.

The Bluebook has very recently, however, acknowledged the role of word counts in another context: whether to keep the space between F. and Supp. in F. Supp. or between S. and Ct. in S. Ct. This space is technically required by the Uniform System of Citation’s rule that adjacent capitals like S.E. may be closed up, but a capital may not close up with an abbreviation that is not a single capital, like Ct. in S. Ct. As of 2020, The Bluebook’s Bluepages Rule B6 softened its stance, advising writers they may close up other traditionally expected spaces in S. Ct. and F. Supp. 2d so as to conserve space. In a potentially controversial (?) stance, we submit that closing up the space between the section symbol and section number may be an equivalent acceptable deviation from traditional citation mechanics, for writers facing word-count pressure. The Supreme Court and members of the Supreme Court Bar do it even when holding a client’s case in their hands. So maybe you can too.

R16.1 Basic Citation Forms for Federal Statutes

R16.1.1 United States Code

For citations to the current United States Code (the official code of the United States and thus the preferred citation), cite the title, the United States Code, the section symbol or symbols, and section number or numbers being cited. The name of the Act being cited may be included before the citation, if appropriate.

<title> U.S.C. § <section number>.

<Name of Act [optional]>, <title> U.S.C. § <section number>.

Examples:

17 U.S.C. § 107.

18 U.S.C. § 1030.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 301-399i.

R16.1.2 Year optional for current sections of the United States Code

The year in a United States Code citation is optional if the citation refers to the current codified statute. Omitting the year from a U.S.C. citation indicates the most current version of the federal statute being cited, whether that current version is published in the codified edition or a more recent supplement issued to amend the codified edition.

R16.1.3 Historical citations to the United States Code

The U.S.C. is codified once every six years, with various supplements issued in the interim six years between codification. For historical citations to previous versions of the United States Code, citations should be to the appropriate codifying year (e.g., 2000, 2006, 2012). Cite the most recent edition that includes the version of the statute being cited. If you are citing to a historical version of a statute first published in a supplement published in the interim period between official codifications, be sure to consult the supplements, indicate the supplement’s title and year of publication in the citation.

Example:

Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. § 223 (2012 & Supp. I 2013).

R16.1.4 Unofficial annotated U.S. codes

If the U.S.C. cite is not available, then cite to an unofficial code such as U.S. Code Annotated or U.S. Code Service. The citation form is:

<title> U.S.C.A. § <section number> (West).

<title> U.S.C.S. § <section number> (LexisNexis).

R16.1.5 Year in unofficial U.S. code citations

As with the United States Code, the year is not required in citations to the current code.

Examples:

5 U.S.C.A. § 572 (West).

5 U.S.C.S. § 572 (LexisNexis).

For citations where the date is relevant or for historical code citations, indicate the date parenthetically. The date consists of the year through which the code section is current or may include “current through” an exact date or legislative session, if relevant.

Examples:

5 U.S.C.A. § 572 (West 2021).

5 U.S.C.S. § 572 (LexisNexis current through July 22, 2021).

R16.1.6 Parallel citations to original section numbers

The original section numbering of enacted legislation does not inherently correspond to the section numbering in codified statutes. When naming and citing an Act in its original enacted form and in its codified form, include parallel citations to original section number in the Act, and the codified location.

Use the following form: <Name of Statute> <original section number>, <title> <Abbreviation for Name of Statutory Code> § <section number> <(<Name of Publisher, but only if citing unofficial code> <year published>)>.

Examples:

Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act § 202, 17 U.S.C. § 271(e).

Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 § 103, 17 U.S.C.A. § 1201 (West).

R16.1.7 Official session laws

If neither a United States Code or unofficial annotated code citation is available, then cite to the Public Law Number and parallel official session laws (i.e., the Statutes at Large). Omit the year of passage if it is part of the Act’s name. For a citation without a pincite, use the following format: <Name of Statute,> Pub. L. No. <____>, <volume> Stat. <page number> <(year passed)>.

The citation may include pincite to the specific section in the original Act and the page in the session laws. For a citation with a pincite, use the following format: <Name of Statute,> Pub. L. No. <____>, <original section number>, <volume> Stat. <page number>, <page pinpoint> <(year passed)>.

Examples:

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, § 1101, 124 Stat. 119, 141-43 (2010).

Family Sponsor Immigration Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-150, 116 Stat. 74.

R16.2 Short Citations

After a full citation to the United States Code or alternative (or session laws), a short form may be used. These short citations may take various forms but must clearly identify the reference including the pincite.

Examples:

§ 107.

Id.

Id. § 106.

First Step Act of 2018 § 401.

§ 401, 132 Stat. at 5220.

Indigo Inkling

“Session laws” are a bound collection of all statutes enacted by a given legislature, each volume collecting statutes chronologically in the year they were passed. The Statutes at Large (“Stat.”) is the official compilation for federal session laws. Generally, only cite to session laws if the official or unofficial code is unavailable or insufficient, or if you need to refer to the historical fact of the statute’s enactment.

R17 State Statutes

R17.1 Official State Codes

You should cite state statutes to official codes if at all possible. State code compilations are ranked by order of preference shown in Table T3. State code citations may require the publisher’s name, as shown in Table T3.

R17.2 Forms of Citation to State Codes

R17.2.1 Basic citations to state codes

A citation to a state code must include the code’s name (abbreviated) and identifying information such as the code volume and section number being cited. State-code formats vary by state. See Table T3. The citation must also include a parenthetical providing the publisher’s name if necessary for an unofficial citation, as shown in Table T3; and the current year of that code. State code citations are never underlined (even if they appear underlined in online hyperlinked sources.)

Examples:

Fla. Stat. § 90.506 (2020).

O.C.G.A. § 51-3-22 (2020).

18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 30.3 (2020).

R17.2.2 State codes by subject matter

Some state codes use subject-matter abbreviations in their citation formats. Follow Table T3 and the abbreviations shown there to cite such codes.

Examples:

Tex. Est. Code Ann. § 251.107 (West 2019).

N.Y. Arts & Cult. Aff. Law § 60.03 (McKinney 2020).

R17.3 Year of State Code

Provide the year of the state code’s edition or publication date in a parenthetical. Do not include the year the statutory provision was passed.

Example:

Del. Code tit. 8, § 145 (2021).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 2927.27 (2021).

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 27.001 (West 2021).

Indigo Inkling

The Uniform System of Citation requires full citations of state statutes to include the code’s publication date, unlike citations to the United States Code. But in many state jurisdictions, common practice suggests—or local court rules require—omitting the publication year of the state code. Consult Table T3 and state-specific rules and resources.

R17.4 Statutes Not in Force

To cite a statute no longer in force, refer to its most recent available citation. The citation must also include a parenthetical indicating the statute’s subsequent negative history.

Example:

Ala. Code § 13A-12-5(a)(1) (repealed 2015).

R17.5 Short Citations

State codes may be cited in a short form after the first full citation, using a short form that clearly identifies what is being cited. The short form may include most of the full citation except the publisher and year. Or the short form may take an even more truncated format if clear.

Examples:

§ 27.001.

Id.

Id. § 209.

R18 Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Restatements, and Uniform Acts

R18.1 Rules of Evidence and Procedure

R18.1.1 Federal and state rules

Cite current federal or state rules by indicating the abbreviation of the source, followed by the rule number. Do not use a section symbol (§) when citing rules of evidence or procedure, unless using a jurisdiction-specific citation form that requires it. Do not include a date for current rules of evidence or procedure. Include the date of repeal if citing a historical rule no longer in force, and other appropriate information in a parenthetical.

Examples:

Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1).

Fed. R. App. P. 1.

Mo. R. Civ. P. 67.01.

N.J. R. Evid. 406.

R18.1.2 Uniform rules

Cite uniform rules in the same manner as for state or federal rules. Follow how the rules indicate they should be cited as well as how they are in fact cited.

R18.1.3 Abbreviations

In citation sentences and clauses, follow customary abbreviations for the rules being cited. As with all state citations, local customs and rules may differ.

Examples:

Rules by Name	Abbreviation (national and local)
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure	Fed. R. Civ. P.
Federal Rules of Evidence	Fed. R. Evid.
New Jersey Rules of Evidence	N.J. R. Evid. (national) N.J.R.E. (local)
Missouri Rules of Civil Procedure	Mo. R. Civ. P. (national) Rule (local)
Uniform Rules of Evidence	Unif. R. Evid.

R18.2 Restatements, Model Rules, and Uniform Acts

Cite Restatements by indicating the title of the particular Restatement cited, including the ordinal edition such as Restatement (Third) spelled out.

Follow the title and edition with the number of the section being cited and, parenthetically, the publisher and the year that edition was published. Use the following form: Restatement (<spelled ordinal>) of <Subject Matter> <: Subject-Matter Subtitle (if applicable)> § <section number> (<publisher> <year published>).

A comment may be indicated by its letter designation after the Restatement section. Comments are abbreviated “cmt.”

Examples:

Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 46 (Am. L. Inst. 1959).

Restatement (Third) of the Law Governing Lawyers § 2 cmt. e (Am. L. Inst. 2000).

Restatement (Third) of Prop.: Servitudes § 7.1 (Am. L. Inst. 2000).

Do not abbreviate or use numerical form for the ordinal portion of the Restatement title such as “(Second)”. You may optionally abbreviate words in the Restatement title as noted in Table T11, such as “Property” as “Prop.” Try to avoid awkward and non-traditional abbreviations such as “Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Ls.” and “Restatement (Second) of Conts.” Use the option to abbreviate words of eight letters or more such as “Enrichment” as “Enrich.” if desired, avoiding ambiguity with established abbreviations.

Indigo Inkling

The recent history of Restatement citations is a good case study in how citation formats evolve and are influenced by user feedback and advocacy. As of the 19th edition of The Bluebook, published in 2010, Restatement citations followed a fairly slim format:

Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 46 (1959).

The 20th edition of The Bluebook, published in 2015, added the requirement of parenthetically indicating the institutional author along with the year in citations to Restatements, Uniform Acts, and Model Rules:

Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 46 (Am. Law Inst. 1959).

See Richard L. Revesz, The American Law Institute and the Bluebook, The ALI Reporter (Fall 2015), at 3, https://www.ali.org/news/articles/ali-reporter-fall-2015/ (noting that this new citation format was added to The Bluebook at the request of the American Law Institute to protect the American Law Institute’s brand and the influence of its work). The 21st edition of The Bluebook, published in 2020, stated a slightly modifed citation:

Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 46 (Am. L. Inst. 1959).

This relatively recent citation development may be appropriate in scholarly legal writing and is used by law reviews closely implementing the latest version of The Bluebook specifically. This suggested citation format has been picked up by some courts but does not appear to have been systematically adopted as of 2022. See, e.g., Gallardo by & through Vassallo v. Marstiller, 142 S. Ct. 1571, 1761 (2022) (citing Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 321(1) (1981)).

R18.3 Uniform Commercial Code

Citations to the Uniform Commercial Code take the following form: U.C.C. § <section number> (<publisher> <year published>). In academic legal documents and other contexts where the publisher is important to note, add the publisher in the first full citation.

Examples:

U.C.C. § 9-105.

U.C.C. § 9-105 (Am. L. Inst. & Unif. L. Comm’n 1977).

R18.4 Other Uniform Laws and Similar Sources

Use a similar format for other uniform laws, following the general abbreviations in Table T11.

Examples:

Unif. Trade Secrets Act § 1(4) (Unif. L. Comm’n 1985) (as amended).

U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 6A1.5 (U.S. Sentencing Comm’n 2018).

R19 Administrative Rules and Regulations

R19.1 Federal Rules

R19.1.1 General format for administrative rules

Citations to federal administrative rules and regulations take the following form for citing a section. Provide as specific and precise a citation as the source allows.

<title number of C.F.R. provision> C.F.R. § <section number> <(year published)>.

Examples:

36 C.F.R. § 272.1 (2020).

21 C.F.R. § 133.113 (2020).

R19.1.2 C.F.R. parts

Citations to a part (that is a particular, defined “Part”) of the C.F.R. take the following form.:

<title number of C.F.R. provision> C.F.R. pt. <part number> <(year published)>.

R19.1.3 Optional name

If the regulation is generally referred to by name or listing the name and/or the name of the agency issuing the regulation would otherwise improve clarity, include it at the beginning of the citation. Citations to administrative rules and regulations that include the regulation name take the following form:

<Name of the Regulation and/or Name of the Agency Promulgating the Regulation>, <title no. of C.F.R. provision> C.F.R. § <section number> <(year published)>.

Examples:

DOE Employee Standards of Conduct with Regard to Privacy, 10 C.F.R. § 1008.3 (2020).

FDA Standards of Identity for Food, 21 C.F.R. Parts 130 to 169 (2020).

R19.2 State Regulations

Cite state regulations following the federal format when permitted by the structure and form of the state’s source material. State regulations vary widely from state to state in their structure and form; thus, the appropriate citation to a state regulation—particularly for use within that state—may require consulting a state-specific citation manual such as those listed in Table T3.

Examples:

State Regulation	Uniform System of Citation Format	State-Specific Format
Missouri Code of State Regulations Title 15, Section 30-200.030, updated as of 2020	Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 15, § 30-200.030 (2020).	15 CSR 30-200.030.
New Jersey Administrative Code Section 2:16-1.1, updated as of 2020	N.J. Admin. Code § 2:16-1.1 (2020).	N.J.A.C. 2:16-1.1.

R19.3 Agency Adjudications, Arbitrations, Orders, and Other Actions

R19.3.1 Adjudications

Agency adjudications are similar to case citations but more streamlined. Use only the first-listed private party. Omit all procedural words such as “In re” and similar. See Table T2 of The Indigo Book for specific guidance on citing agency adjudications and arbitration citations.

Example:

Tegna, Inc., 367 N.L.R.B. No. 71 (Jan. 17, 2019).

R19.3.2 Arbitrations

Agency arbitrations follow the format for case citations (Rule R11) if they have adversary parties and the citation for an agency adjudication (Rule R19.3.1) if they do not. Indicate the arbitrator’s name and abbreviated title Arb. at the end of the citation.

R19.3.3 Parallel citations

Provide a citation to an official or unofficial reporter if available. If an official publication is not available at all or not yet for the adjudication, cite to the agency’s website using a similar format to citing unpublished cases (Rule R11.3.4) and electronic sources (Rule R32). A citation to a proprietary database is permitted and may be helpful but is not required.

Examples:

Landrys Inc., 199 L.R.R.M. (BL) ¶ 2103 (N.L.R.B. Div. of Judges June 26, 2014).

Online Political Files of Trending Media, Inc., File No.: POL-070121-27365113 (FCC Feb. 12, 2021) (order and attached consent decree), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-156A1.pdf.

Ronnie v. Office Depot, Inc., Arb. Case No. 2019-0020, ALJ Case No. 2018-SOX-00006 (Dep’t of Labor Sept. 29, 2020), https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OALJ/PUBLIC/ARB/DECISIONS/ARB_DECISIONS/SOX/19_020_SOXP.PDF.

Amazon, Inc. and Amazon Logistics, Inc., File No. 1923123, 2021 WL 489846 (FTC Feb. 2, 2021) (agreement containing consent order), https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/amazon_flex_order_with_no_signatures.pdf.

R19.3.4 Pincites

Pincite to specific pages in the document by using page numbers, paragraph numbers, star pagination to proprietary page numbers, or another appropriate pincite reference. See Rule R5.

R19.4 Proposed Rules

Include the proposed rule’s title, citation to the Federal Register, and date of proposal:

<Title of Proposed Rule> , <Volume> Fed. Reg. <Page> , <(proposed on <date rule was proposed>)> (to be codified at <intended C.F.R. citation>)>, <URL where Proposed Rule can be found>.

If the proposed rule is not yet included in the Federal Register, provide a citation to the agency’s website including docket number if available and URL.

R19.5 Comments Filed with Agencies

R19.5.1 Comments generally

Include the commenter’s name and the proposed rule that is the subject of comment, followed by the exact date and URL:

<Commenter’s name>, Comment on <Proposed Rule Being Commented Upon, including optional citation in the Federal Register (<date>) <(date of comment filed)>, <URL of Comment if available and helpful>.

Include the docket number or comment number in the citation, if applicable and helpful.

Examples:

Georgia Dep’t of Agric., Public Submission on the FDA’s Comprehensive, Multi-Year Nutrition Innovation Strategy (Aug. 23, 2018), https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FDA-2018-N-2381-0690.

Georgia Dep’t of Agric., Public Submission on the FDA’s Comprehensive, Multi-Year Nutrition Innovation Strategy (83 Fed. Reg. 30180 (June 27, 2018)) (comment submitted Aug. 23, 2018), https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FDA-2018-N-2381-0690.

R19.5.2 Comments with subsequent agency response

When citing a comment in which administrative procedure requires an agency response and when the agency has in fact issued its response, supplement or replace the URL of the comment standing alone to add citation information for the rule appendix or other source containing both the comment and the agency response.

Indigo Inkling

Citations to agency sources must build on the fundamentals of legal citation, while adapting the special conventions of administrative-law practice and the relevant agency or agencies. Fundamentally, all legal citations should provide the correct information including title, issuing agency, date, and indexing information such that the source can be found and the reader can assess the source in context. Special conventions of administrative-law practice vary by federal and state agency. Specialty conventions may include omitting information (such as a date where it is superfluous), citing to agency-specific sources rather than general federal sources, or citing general federal sources plus additional parallel citations, cross-references, and/or URLs. Those who work frequently with a particular agency will often rely more heavily on the agency’s website or other sources than on general publication in the Federal Register.

For example, a generic citation to agency work by the Federal Communications Commission might look like this, following the overall Uniform System of Citation:

Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, 85 Fed. Reg. 67,450 (Oct. 23, 2020) (to be codified at 47 C.F.R. pt. 64); Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, 85 Fed. Reg. 67,480 (proposed Oct. 23, 2020) (to be codified at 47 C.F.R. pt. 64).

But an attorney or policy advocate knowledgeable about FCC customs might cite the source more like the following, knowing that the Federal Register documents are only a summary of the FCC's full document, released more than two months after the FCC's initial release of the document, and missing the separate statements of FCC commissioners on the document:

Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, Report and Order on Remand and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, WC Docket No. 12-375, 35 FCC Rcd. 8485 (Aug. 7, 2020), https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-reduce-rates-and-charges-inmate-calling-services-0.

Table T1 provides more detailed information about federal-agency practice, and Table T3 provides information on state-specific administrative-law citations (acknowledging that comprehensive treatment of state practice is beyond the scope of The Indigo Book). For work focused on particular agencies, any overall source expressing the Uniform System of Citation should be supplemented by obtaining agency-specific citation guides, studying recent samples of work in that agency, and working with experienced practitioners. For these examples, we are grateful to Blake Reid, Clinical Professor and Director of the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic at the University of Colorado School of Law.

R20 Federal Taxation Materials

R20.1 Internal Revenue Code

Citations to the Internal Revenue Code take either of two forms—the United States Code or the Internal Revenue Code (which inherently refers to Title 26 of the United States Code). Either way, these citations do not include the year when the citation refers to the current year of the Code.

R20.1.1 I.R.C.

Citations to the code itself take the following form: I.R.C. § <section number> .

R20.1.2 Title 26 of the United States Code

Citations to Title 26 of the United States Code, which is where the Internal Revenue Code is codified, take the following form: 26 U.S.C. § <section number>.

Examples:

I.R.C. § 312.

26 U.S.C. § 312.

R20.1.3 Unofficial codes

Indicate the publisher if citing to an unofficial code. Do not indicate the year when citing the current unofficial code, but do include the year if citing a past edition or dated supplement.

R20.2 Treasury Regulations

The Department of the Treasury issues Treasury Regulations pursuant to § 7805 of the Internal Revenue Code. Treasury Regulations are codified in Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations (“C.F.R.”), but should be cited as “Treas. Reg.” according to the following form: Treas. Reg. § <section number> <(year published)>. If the regulation is temporary, then begin the citation with Temp. Treas. Reg. instead.

Examples:

Treas. Reg. § 1.414(r)-8 (1994).

Temp. Treas. Reg. § 1.274-5T(6) (1985).

R20.3 Treasury Determinations

Cite Revenue Rulings (“Rev. Rul.”), Revenue Procedures (“Rev. Proc.”), and Treasury Decisions (“T.D.”) to the following sources, in the following order of preference: (1) Cumulative Bulletin (“C.B.”); (2) Internal Revenue Bulletin (“I.R.B.”); then (3) Treasury Decisions Under Internal Revenue Laws (“Treas. Dec. Int. Rev.”).

Examples:

Rev. Rul. 81-225, 1981-2 C.B. 12.

Rev. Proc. 97-27, 1997-21 I.R.B. 11.

T.D. 2135, 17 Treas. Dec. Int. Rev. 39 (1915).

R20.4 Private Letter Rulings

Cite Private Letter Rulings using the following format: I.R.S. P.L. R. <ruling number> (<exact date>).

Example:

I.R.S. P.L.R. 202121010 (May 28, 2021).

R21 Legislative Materials

R21.1 Federal Bills and Resolutions

If unenacted, cite as follows: <name of bill, if helpful>, <abbreviation from the list below> <bill number>, <number of the Congress> <section, if not citing the entire bill> <year of publication>, with additional information when needed to distinguish between different versions of the bill in a given Congress. Abbreviate the names of subcommittees and committees according to the form set out in Table T5, Table T11, and Table T12. As shown below, select an abbreviation based on the type of bill or resolution:

Type	Abbreviation
Senate Bill	S.
House Bill	H.R.
Senate Resolution	S. Res.
House Resolution	H.R. Res.
Senate Joint Resolution	S.J. Res.
House Joint Resolution	H.R.J. Res.
Senate Concurrent Resolution	S. Con. Res.
House Concurrent Resolution	H.R. Con. Res.
Senate Executive Resolution	S. Exec. Res.

Examples:

S. 812, 108th Cong. (2003).

Clinical Social Work Medicare Equality Act of 2001, S. 1083, 107th Cong. § 2(b) (2001).

ABLE Act of 2014, H.R. 647, 113th Cong. (as passed by House, Dec. 3, 2014).

H.R. 1746, 111th Cong. § 2(c)(4) (as reported by H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure, Apr. 23, 2009).

H.R. Res. 431, 114th Cong. (2015).

S.J. Res. 12, 109th Cong. (2005).

Indigo Inkling

Every two years, a new Congress is constituted, based on the two-year term for Members of Congress set forth in Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. Each of these Congresses has its own number, and that number is crucial in legislative-history citations. The 2021-22 Congress (elected in 2020) is the 117th Congress. Public Laws enacted by this Congress and signed by the President will follow a citation format such as Pub. L. 117-1 (the first act to be enacted sequentially by the 117th Congress). The 2019-2020 Congress (elected in 2018) was the 116th Congress. Those Public Laws would follow a citation format such as Pub. L. 116-25 (the twenty-fifth act to be passed by the 116th Congress); and so on. Likewise other legislative documents use the number of that Congress as a core piece of the citation. Online resources for government-document research seem to be constantly in flux; consult Congress.gov or Govinfo.gov for more information.

R21.2 Enacted Federal Bills and Resolutions

Once enacted, bills and joint resolutions are statutes subject to codification and should be cited as such following Rule R16.1. For citations to the legislation’s history (rather than as a codified statute), cite them as unenacted bills or resolutions. Cite enacted simple resolutions and concurrent resolutions as if they were unenacted, but add an “(enacted)” parenthetical if it would be helpful.

R21.3 State Bills and Resolutions

Cite state bills and resolutions as follows: <number of bill or resolution>, <number, or year if unnumbered, of the legislative body>, <number or designation of the legislative session> (<name of state, abbreviated as in Table T12 and year of enactment or publication, if unenacted>).

Example:

L.D. 3, 127th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Me. 2015).

R21.4 Committee Hearings

R21.4.1 Congressional committee hearings

Cite committee hearings as follows: <full title of hearing>: Hearing on <bill number, if any> Before the <name of committee or subcommittee>, <number of the Congress> <optional pincite to page number> <year of publication> <name and title of speaker>. For the names of subcommittees and committees, abbreviate according to the form set out in Table T5, Table T11, and Table T12. For the names of individuals, use Table T10.

R21.4.2 State committee hearings

For state committee hearings, cite as follows: <full title of hearing>: Hearing on <bill number, if any> Before the <name of committee or subcommittee>, <number of the legislative session> <optional pincite to page number> <abbreviation for the state’s name from Table T12> <year of publication> <name and title of speaker>. Use the same abbreviation resources as for Congressional committee hearings.

Examples:

Cell Tax Fairness Act of 2008: Hearing on H.R. 5793 Before the Subcomm. on Commercial and Administrative Law of the H. Comm. on the Judiciary, 110th Cong. 12 (2008) (statement of Zoe Lofgren, Member, H. Comm. on the Judiciary).

Welfare and Poverty in America: Hearing before the S. Comm. on Fin., 114th Cong. (2015) (statement of Dr. Pamela Loprest, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute).

Testimony from invited guests addressing the use of eminent domain in the State: Hearing before the Assemb. Commerce and Econ. Dev. Com., 2006–2007 Sess. 5 (N.J. 2006) (statement of Guy R. Gregg, Assemblyman).

Hearing on L.D. 319 Before the Health and Human Servs. Comm., 127th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Me. 2015) (statement of Susan Lamb, Executive Director, Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers).

R21.5 Federal Congressional Reports

R21.5.1 Report citations

Cite numbered federal reports as follows: <name of house, in small caps> Rep. No. <number of the Congress, followed by a hyphen and the number of the report>, <at optional pincite> <year of publication> <parenthetical to indicate conference report, if applicable>.

Examples:

S. Rep. No. 106-261, at 441 (2000).

H.R. Rep. No. 110-803, at 105 (2008) (Conf. Rep.).

R21.5.2 Other legislative materials

Citations to federal and state non-statutory legislative materials, including legislative history and unenacted bills, aren’t expressed in a uniform manner, but generally include the following elements:

title, if available,
name of legislative body, abbreviated
section number, page no. or number of report
number of Congress and/or legislative session
(publication year)
(if the bill or resolution was enacted). Only include this additional parenthetical if the bill was enacted; if unenacted, you don’t need to add anything extra.

Examples:

Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 11, 111th Cong. § 203 (2009).

American Clean Energy and Security Act, H.R. 2454, 111th Cong. (2009).

S. 2318, 112th Cong. (2013) (enacted).

R22 Short Form Citation of Legislative and Administrative Materials

R22.1 General short-citation forms

For subsequent citations in the same general discussion after a first full citation, short forms that clearly identify the source are permissible.

R22.2 Id.

Id. may be used to identify the immediately preceding source consistent with Rule R6. Id. can be used for different subsections of the same code title and section, or for different code sections within the same title. A subsequent citation to a different title of that code necessitates a more complete short-form citation than Id.

Full citation	*Id.* citation for same provision	*Id.* citation for different provision within same title
7 U.S.C. § 7101.	Id.	Id. § 7102(26).
9 C.F.R. § 54.1 (2014).	Id.	Id. § 151.9.

R23 Sources and Authorities: Constitutions

R23.1 United States Constitution

Citations to the federal Constitution follow a simple form, using abbreviations from Table T12 (state names) and Table T13 (document subdivisions).

For current Constitutional provisions, do not include a date. Parenthetical information may be added consistent with Rule R10, such as for repeal or amendment.

The format is as follows: <U.S. Const.> <cited section of constitution, abbreviated> <number of article or amendment in Roman numeral form> <§ and pinpoint, if applicable> <(additional information, if needed)>.

Examples:

U.S. Const. amend. XIII, § 1.

U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).

U.S. Const. pmbl.

R23.2 State Constitutions

Citations to state constitutions are expressed the same format, substituting the abbreviated name of the state following Table T12 and document subdivisions in Table T13.

Examples:

Ariz. Const. art. XVI, § 2.

N.D. Const. art. III, § 1.

R23.3 Short Forms

Federal and state constitutions do not have a shorter alternative form for use after the first full citation. They should be cited in full each time used. It is permissible, however, to use id. for sequential citations to the same constitutional provision.

D. COURT & LITIGATION DOCUMENTS

Indigo Inkling

Section B of The Indigo Book (Rules R11-R15) focuses on citations to “cases”—that is judicial opinions, both published and unpublished. But not everything a court issues is an “opinion.” An opinion states the court’s legal basis and reasoning for that decision. An order manages and directs the litigation in a particular case. Rules R24-27 address court and litigation documents, and here we note the connection to case citations.

Citing orders to a court during active litigation in that court will vary and depend on that court’s own rules and customs. In contexts outside the litigation, orders should be cited consistently with the opinion rules in Rule R12.4.1 Thus, an order in a 2022 labor dispute involving a Memphis Starbucks would be cited differently when participating in the litigation and outside of it.

Briefing in the context of the litigation:

(ECF No. 45 at PageID 478, n. 1).

Citation in public contexts outside the litigation:

McKinney v. Starbucks Corp., No. 2:22-cv-02292, Order Denying in Part and Granting in Part Motion of Workers United to Intervene or, in the Alternative, to Participate as Amicus Curiae, at 2, n. 1 (W.D. Tenn. May 10, 2022).

ECF and Page ID page citations vary court by court, and full coverage of the Case Management/Electronic Case Files system and PACER is beyond the scope of The Indigo Book. We note our support for open-access initiatives such as RECAP, which is a searchable online archive, browser extension, and email alert capturing utility made available by the Free Law Project and Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton.

R24 Documents Filed in the Same Case

At the trial stage, court and litigation documents take a variety of forms such as pleadings, affidavits, discovery requests and responses, motions, and court orders, just to name a few. On appeal, the record below may become a formal numbered “Record” with its own page references. Documents for use on appeal may also take the form of an appendix or joint appendix.

In federal court, court and litigation documents must be filed with the federal government’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, variously known as CM/ECF (for case management and electronic case filing, respectively) and PACER (for accessing case materials). Thus, federal court documents have traditional document names, pagination, and in some types of pleading documents, paragraph designations provided by the filer; as well as an assigned ECF number for the document and PageID numbering within the document provided by the CM/ECF system.

R24.1 Document Title

Consult the document abbreviations in Table T18. Follow it in the absence of more specific rules or guidance from local rules. When abbreviating document names, other abbreviations may be employed for long words (typically seven or more letters) if clear and helpful to the reader. Always abbreviate an official record, such as the appellate record, to “R.” Do not abbreviate if the abbreviation would confuse the reader.

Examples:

Compl. for Copyright Infringement ¶ 11.

Def.’s Second Am. Answer ¶ 28.

Jones Dep. 8:24-9:5.

Def. Acme’s Resp. to Pl. Morrison’s Req. for Admis. No. 2.A.

R. at 22.

J.A. at 137.

R24.2 Pincites to Page, Page and Line, or Paragraph

For court and litigation documents other than an appellate record, provide the exact page or paragraph. Where line numbers are available such as in deposition transcripts, also provide the line being referred to. Do not use “p.” before a page number, but refer to pages with “at <x>.”

R24.2.1 Pincites to the appellate record

Generally cite the appellate record with an “at.” Record citations also sometimes omit the “at” to save on a word count. Most importantly, be accurate and be internally consistent.

Examples:

R. at 2.

R. 2.

R24.2.2 Page and line pincites

Use a colon to separate page and line.

Example:

Smith Dep. 5:21–6:10.

R24.2.3 Commas

Use commas if necessary to avoid confusion. When abbreviating both a document name and an exhibit to that document, add a comma after the Exhibit reference before the pincite.

Example:

Smith Dep. Ex. 12, at 3.

R24.3 Date of Document

Include the date of the document if the date is particularly relevant or if omitting the date could cause confusion.

Examples:

Miller Aff. ¶ 8, Jan. 12, 2015.

Pl.’s Br. 4–5, May 7, 2014.

Trial Tr. vol. 3, 45, Mar. 5, 2015.

R24.4 Electronic Case Filing Number

Include an ECF number whenever a document has been filed electronically. Find the ECF number on PACER, a federal case management system that assigns each case document a document number. Use the page number on the original document, not the Page ID reference added by the ECF system upon filing, except in citations provided to a court where applicable court rules require using the ECF’s Page ID reference.

Examples:

Pl.’s Compl. ¶ 12, ECF No. 147.

Sanchez Dep. 1:1–2, Jan. 3, 2005, ECF No. 8.

Example where Page ID required:

(Petition for Temporary Injunction Pursuant to Section 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act ¶ 6, ECF No. 1 at Page ID 3-6.)

R24.5 Parentheses or Brackets

Citations to court or litigation documents may stand alone as citation sentences or clauses or may be enclosed in parentheses or brackets. If using parenthesis or brackets, place the period outside the closing parenthesis or closing bracket. As with all types of citations, following applicable court rules and maintaining internal consistency in a document are crucial.

Examples:

J.A. at 182.

R. 24.

(Resp. Br. 18).

[R. at 7].

R25 Court or Litigation Documents from Other Cases

Dockets and litigation documents are widely available now in commercial databases and other platforms. This rule describes how to cite litigation documents in other documents, not for litigation in that particular case, which is governed by Rule R24. This rule does, however, draw on Rule R24 as a partial basis for the citation, with additional citation information as shown here.

R25.1 General Format in Published Cases

After citing to the document according to Rule R24 above, add the full citation for the case where it comes from, and the case docket number in parentheses. An additional citation to a commercial database may be added (optional).

<Name of document> <pincite> , <Citation to case in which document was filed> (<docket number in parenthesis>), <optional commercial database identifier or webpage URL>.

Example:

Compl. 5, Parsell v. Shell Oil Co., 421 F. Supp. 1275 (D. Conn. 1976) (Civ. No. B-700).

Pl.’s Resp. to Defs.’ Mot. for Summ. J. 14, Martinez-Mendoza v. Champion Int’l Corp., 340 F.3d 1200 (11th Cir. 2003) (No. 06-19139).

Brief for Brendan Keefe in His Official Capacity as Investigative Reporter for 11Alive Atlanta, and WXIA-TV as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondent, Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, Inc., 140 S. Ct. 1498 (2020) (No. 18-1150), 2019 WL 5391110.

R25.2 Pending or Undecided Cases

If there has been no decision in the case you’re citing, then provide the name of the document and pincite, followed by the docket number, the date in parentheses, and other optional information to direct the reader.

<Name of document> <pincite>, <Name of case>, <docket number>, (<exact date of document being cited>) <optional commercial database identifier or webpage URL>.

Examples:

Compl. ¶ 2, Jones v. Smith, No. 09-230 (9th Cir. Apr. 17, 2015), ECF No. 2.

Pet. for Writ of Cert. at 6, Crowe v. Ore. St. Bar, No. 20-1678 (May 27, 2021), https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/crowe-v-oregon-state-bar/.

R25.3 Oral Argument Audio and Transcripts

Provide the title indicating Oral Argument for an audio citation and Transcript for a transcript citation. Pincite to the minute or page. Provide the case name, citation of the case, and the year parenthetically.

Examples:

Oral Argument at 32:50, Georgia v. Public.Resource.org, 140 S. Ct. 1498 (2020) (No. 18-1150), https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-1150.

Transcript of Oral Argument at 5, Ramos v. Louisiana, 140 S. Ct. 1390 (2020) (No. 18-5924), https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-5924_4gcj.pdf.

R26 Short Form Citation for Court and Litigation Documents

Use a short form citation for court documents when the full citation is close enough to be useful and the short form used is clear and helpful. Note that court documents may be cited using supra. Don’t use “id.” for court documents, unless it saves a lot of space. In particular do not use id. for record citations.

Examples:

Full Form (Original citation)	Short Form Citation (subsequent reference)
Pl.’s Resp. to Defs.’ Mot. for Summ. J. at 14, Martinez-Mendoza v. Champion Int’l Corp., 340 F.3d 1200 (11th Cir. 2003) (No. 06-19139).	Pl.’s Resp. to Defs.’ Mot. for Summ. J. at 14, Martinez-Mendoza, 340 F.3d 1200 (No. 06-19139).
Decl. of Martha Woodmansee at 7, Salinger v. Colting, 641 F. Supp. 2d 250 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) (No. 09 Civ. 05095).	Decl. of Martha Woodmansee at 7, Salinger, 641 F. Supp. 2d 250 (No. 09 Civ. 05095).

R27 Capitalization in Court Documents and Legal Memoranda

R27.1 Capitalizing Court

Capitalize “Court” in each of the following situations:

Referring to the U.S. Supreme Court
Referring to or addressing the court receiving the document you are submitting
Naming the court in full

Examples:

The Court held that the Official Code of Georgia Annotated is a government edict that cannot be copyrighted by the State of Georgia.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims held jurisdiction.

The Aalmuhammed court explained that the word author “is traditionally used to mean the originator or the person who causes something to come into being.”

This Court is being asked to expand the definition of “author” far beyond the statutory text.

R27.2 Party Designations in a Litigation

Capitalize “Plaintiff,” “Defendant,” “Appellant” and “Appellee,” unless you are referring to parties from other litigation.

Example (in the case involving this plaintiff as a party):

The Plaintiff does not have a cognizable copyright interest in her acting performance.

Example (referring to a different litigation):

In Bobbs-Merrill, the plaintiff-copyright owner sold its book with a printed notice announcing that any retailer who sold the book for less than one dollar was liable for copyright infringement.

R27.3 Titles of Court Documents

In litigation filings, use the capitalized and unabbreviated title of any litigation document in that case, when referring to it in full in a textual sentence. A litigation document may also be referred to in a citation sentence in a full or short form, in which case it should be capitalized but abbreviated.

Example:

The Plaintiff’s Motion for Reconsideration should be denied.

Pl.’s Mot. Recons. at 4.

R27.4 Types of Documents Not Capitalized

Do not capitalize the name for a type of court document, such as an injunction, petition, etc.

E. BOOKS & NON-PERIODICALS

R28 Full Citation for Books & Non-Periodicals

R28.1 General

A full citation to a book or other non-periodical is made up of the following elements:

Volume number (if the book is in a set of more than one volume)
Author name or names
Title of the Publication
Parenthetically, edition and editor information, if applicable; and year

Examples:

1 Melville B. Nimmer & David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright § 1.01[B][1][a] at 1–14–15 (2019).

Matthew Reidsma, Masked by Trust: Bias in Library Discovery (2019).

Lawyers in Practice: Ethical Decision Making in Context (Leslie C. Levin & Lynn Mather eds., 2012).

Joseph Williams & Joseph Bizup, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (12th ed. 2016).

R28.2 Author Name or Names

Use standard roman type (not italicized) for the author name or names.

R28.2.1 Exact names

In general, list the names of the authors as listed on the publication, such as by including listed first names and middle initials in addition to surnames. Use titles that follow an author’s name (Sr.) but not titles that precede them (Hon.)

R28.2.2 Multiple authors

For two authors, list them in the same order as on the publication separated by “&.” For more than two authors, you may list all of the authors with “&” before the last. Or you may use “et al.” after the first-named author.

Indigo Inkling

The “et al.” option for books and law review articles with multiple authors may be a space-saving option, but it may also effectively erase the contribution of co-authors other than the first-named. This citation erasure may occur qualitatively (in how the article is remembered) and/or quantitatively (in various empirical citation rankings). University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Dave Hoffman has argued that all authors should be included in the full citation, and indeed a number of law reviews have rejected the et al. option. Professor Hoffman calls this approach the “Fair Citation Rule. ”

Short-forms for books and law review articles may be based on just the first-named author, an approach consistent with the spirit of efficient short-form citations. But the Fair Citation Rule can be followed in short citations as well, an approach that is less efficient but more representative of the work.

R28.2.3 Title of the publication

Place the publication title in italics.

R28.2.4 Pincite

Include the exact page number being cited immediately after the name of the publication. Do not use “at” before the pincite in a full citation. When citing a work organized using sections or paragraphs, use those instead, adding a page number only if helpful.

Example:

Marc A. Franklin et al., Mass Media Law Cases and Materials 472 (8th ed. 2011).

R28.2.5 Edition, editor or translator, and year of publication

The full citation to a book publication has up to four elements in the required parenthetical, in the following order:

Editor (designated as “ed.”)
Translator (designated as “trans.” and also including the name of the publisher of the translated edition)
Edition number
Year

If listing an editor or a translator, then follow the name with the designation “ed.,” or “trans.,” respectively. Do not place a comma before the designation of ed. or trans., but do include a comma after that designation and before the year of publication.

Examples:

Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gregory Rabassa trans., Harper & Row 2003) (1967).

Roger Angell, This Old Man, in The Best American Essays 2015 (Ariel Levy & Robert Atwan eds., 2015).

R29 Short Form Citation for Books & Non-Periodicals

R29.1 Id.

Id. may be used for references to books or non-periodical material cited in the immediately preceding citation, assuming that citation contains only one source. Update the page number you’re referring to within that source, as needed, by using “Id. at <x>.”

Do not use id. for internal cross references, or for citing back to a body of collected works when actually citing a single work from that body.

R29.2 Supra

Use “supra” when you’ve used the full citation before, but it’s not the immediately preceding citation. Use a shortened title if you cite to multiple sources from the same author. Where a source has more than two authors, short citation forms using supra may use the first-named author and “et al.” to refer to other named authors, regardless of whether the first full citation has done so. You may retain all the authors if desired for giving credit.

The short form supra can be used in references to an earlier-cited work where “id.” does not apply. Citations built using supra should include:

the author’s last name
an unitalicized comma followed by italicized supra and followed by another unitalicized comma
the word “at” and the specific page being pincited.

Examples:

Full:	*Id.:*	Supra
B.F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity 32 (2002).	Id. at 21.	Skinner, supra, at 21.
3 Melville Nimmer & David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright § 12.01 (Rev. ed. 2015)	See id. § 14.02.	See Nimmer & Nimmer, supra, § 14.02
Graham C. Lilly et al., Principles of Evidence 122 (6th ed. 2012)	Id. at 88–103	Lilly, supra, at 90

F. JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, & NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

R30 Full Citation for Journals, Magazines & Newspaper Articles

R30.1 Journal Citations

R30.1.1 Consecutively paginated journals (such as law reviews)

Citations to consecutively paginated journals (that is, journals in which page numbering is continued from the last issue) take the following form:

<Author’s Name(s)>, <Italicized Title of the Article>, <volume number, if applicable> <Name of Publication, abbreviated> <page number of first page of article cited>, <pincite, if citing to specific point> <(year published)>.

Follow Rule R30.2 below for author name rules and Rule R30.3 for abbreviating the name of the publication.

Example:

Liz Brown, Bridging the Gap: Improving Intellectual Property Protection for the Look and Feel of Websites, 3 N.Y.U. J. Intell. Prop. & Ent. L. 310, 351 (2014).

R30.1.2 Journals and magazines with standard pagination

Citations to journals and magazines with standard pagination (that is, where pagination re-starts for every issue) take the following form:

<Author’s Name(s)>, <Italicized Title of the Article>, <Name of Publication, abbreviated>, <full date of publication>, at <page number of first page of article cited>.

Example:

Jack Dickey, The Power of Taylor Swift, Time, Nov. 24, 2014, at 13.

R30.1.3 Pincites with standard pagination

A pincite to a specific page may be added after the page number of the article’s first page, in the following form: , <pincite>.

Example:

Jack Dickey, The Power of Taylor Swift, Time, Nov. 24, 2014, at 13, 17.

R30.1.4 Student-written material in law journals

Citations to material written by students in law journals such as comments and notes take the following form:

<Author’s Name(s), if signed with more than initials>, <Designation of Piece>, <Italicized Title of the Article>, <volume number, if applicable> <Name of Publication, abbreviated> <page number of first page of article cited>, <pincite, if citing to specific point> <(year published)>.

Examples:

Amanda Levendowski, Note, Using Copyright to Combat Revenge Porn, 3 N.Y.U. J. Intell. Prop. & Ent. L. 422 (2014).

Victoria Nemiah, Note, License and Registration, Please: Using Copyright “Conditions” To Protect Free/Open Source Software, 3 N.Y.U. J. Intell. Prop. & Ent. L. 358, 361 (2014).

Comment, Law and Lawns: Mandatory Water Restrictions and Substantive Due Process, 7 Calif. L. Rev. 138 (1972).

Indigo Inkling

Many sources such as newspapers and magazines are available both in a traditional hard-copy publication and an online format. Although the online site is almost certainly easier to find and read, traditional legal citation prioritizes the hard-copy publication for law reviews, magazines, and similar periodical sources. Newspapers are treated differently as shown in Rule R30.4.

R30.2 Authors

R30.2.1 Name as listed

Show the author’s name beginning with first name, initials if indicated on the publication, and last name followed by any name suffixes (Jr., III) indicated on the publication title.

R30.2.2 Two authors

For two authors, indicate their names in the order shown on the publication, separated by an ampersand. Do not insert a comma before the ampersand.

R30.2.3 Multiple authors

For more than two authors, all authors may be listed with an ampersand before the last name; or all but the first may be omitted and replaced by “et al.” Indicate all authors when relevant the point being made, or when recognition of all authors is desirable.

R30.2.4 No listed author

When no author is listed at the beginning or end of the publication source, skip the author field and begin the citation with the publication’s title.

R30.3 Journal Titles

R30.3.1 Abbreviated titles

Use the abbreviations for common institutional names as listed in Table T15 if the name is listed. If the institutional name is not listed in Table T15, use abbreviations as listed in Table T11 and Table T12. If the periodical title has an abbreviation in it, use the abbreviation. If the word is not found in any of these tables, do not abbreviate the word in the abbreviated title.

R30.3.2 Prepositions, articles, commas, and colons

For journals not listed in the tables, streamline the journal title with these grammar mechanics. Do not use the words “a,” “at,” “in,” “of,” and “the” in the abbreviated title. Do, however, use the word “on.” If the title consists of “a,” “at,” “in,” “of,” or “the” followed by a single word, do not abbreviate the remaining word. Omit all commas in abbreviated titles, but retain other punctuation. If a periodical title has a colon followed by words, omit all that from the abbreviated title.

Use discretion to format a journal title differently when the journal identifies its own abbreviated title differently, particularly for legal journals (as opposed to those from other disciplines using other citation conventions).

Examples:

“Sociological Journal of Law” becomes “Socio. J. Law”

“Law Journal on the Litigation World” becomes “L.J. on Litig. World”

“Journal at Legal Crossroads” becomes “J. Legal Crossroads”

R30.3.3 Online supplements

To cite an online supplement to a print publication, use the proper abbreviation for the print publication, followed by the name of the online supplement.

R30.3.4 Evolving journal titles and series designation

If a periodical has been renumbered into a new series, indicate that by prefacing the series number with “(n.s.)”. Use the title of the periodical on the issue you are citing, even if the name of the periodical has changed.

R30.4 Newspaper Articles

Citations to newspaper articles traditionally required the print-based citation, but now may use either the print-based citation or the online citation with exact date and URL consistent with Rule R32.

R30.4.1 Print-based citation to newspaper article

Citations to newspaper articles take the following form: <Author’s Name(s), if signed>, <Italicized Title of the Article>, <Name of Publication, abbreviated>, <full date of publication>, at <number of first page of article>. Add a designation after the author’s name such as “editorial,” where appropriate.

Examples:

Charlie Savage, U.N. Commission Presses U.S. on Torture, N.Y. Times, Nov. 14, 2014, at A6.

Vikas Bajaj, Editorial, Rules for the Marijuana Market, N.Y. Times, Aug. 5, 2014, at A20.

R30.4.2 Citation to newspaper article online

Examples:

Charlie Savage, U.N. Commission Presses U.S. on Torture, N.Y. Times (Nov. 14, 2014), https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/world/europe/un-commission-presses-us-on-torture.html.

Vikas Bajaj, Editorial, Rules for the Marijuana Market, N.Y. Times (Aug. 5, 2014), https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/05/opinion/high-time-rules-for-the-marijuana-market.html.

R31 Short Form Citation for Journals, Magazines & Newspaper Articles

R31.1 Id.

Use “id.” when referring to the source cited in the immediately preceding citation. Id. can be used to refer to the same source as in a preceding citation that is itself also id., but do not repeat id. more than four times sequentially. After the fourth id., add more information by repeating the full citation or providing a short citation with supra.

Id. may be used by itself to indicate the same page of the same source, or with “at” to indicate a different page of that source.

R31.2 Supra

Use “supra” when you’ve used the full citation before, but it’s not right next to the sentence you will provide the citation for now. Use a shortened title if you cite to multiple sources from the same author. Where a source has more than two authors, short citation forms using supra may use the first-named author and “et al.” to refer to other named authors, regardless of whether the first full citation has done so. You may retain all the authors if desired for giving credit.

Example (in-text citation):

Robbins, Painting with Print, supra, at 112.

Example (footnote):

Baumeister et al., Bad Is Stronger than Good, supra note 5, at 325.

G. INTERNET SOURCES

R32 General Principles for Internet Sources

R32.1 Authenticated, Official, and Exact Copies

When an authenticated, official, or exact copy of a document is available online, cite as if to the equivalent print source (i.e., URL information should not be included).

Authenticated copy: source that uses some authenticating tool, such as a digital signature. This is generally the preferred version.
Official copy: version of document designated “official” by a federal, state, or local government.
Exact copy: unaltered online reproduction of the entirety of a printed source, including pagination.

R32.2 Print Sources Also Available on the Internet

For sources that are available in a non-internet source, append the URL to the end of the citation if doing so would make accessing the source significantly easier.

Example:

Daniel E. Ho & Frederick Schauer, Testing the Marketplace of Ideas, 90 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1160, 1175 (2015), http://www.nyulawreview.org/sites/default/files/pdf/NYULawReview-90-4-Ho_Schauer.pdf.

R32.3 Print Sources Reproduced on the Internet

For Internet sources that have the characteristics of a print source, cite as if you were citing the print source, and append the URL to the end of the citation. Internet sources have the characteristics of a print source when the following conditions are met: the source has all the information needed to cite it according to another rule, and the source has a fixed, permanent pagination (such as a PDF).

R32.4 Webpages and Internet Sources

For citations directly to webpages and other Internet sources that do not exist in any other printed format, follow the formula in Rule R33 below.

Indigo Inkling

Even in an online world, the format of the printed page reigns supreme in legal citation. Thus, when a document is available in multiple formats, choose the citation format that best preserves the document as it would display if printed. For example, PDF is preferred over HTML. The benefit of these citations is allowing citations to specific page numbers (for pincites) regardless of whether it is being viewed digitally or in print.

Note that many of the Internet citation rules are little more than common sense (that’s a compliment, not a dig). For example: include the URL that most directly links your reader to the authority, as you don’t want to send readers on a wild goose chase through the recesses of the Internet in search of a source. For the sake of completeness, we include these rules below, even though most people would probably intuit them.

One internet citation rule is not common sense, however. Traditional legal citation does not underline the URL to indicate a hyperlink. (Indeed, if you are using italics for case names, titles, and such, nothing will be underlined anywhere in the document.) As you create a citation to an internet source, your word processor may helpfully add an underlined hyperlink with URL text turned a different color. For citation per the Uniform System of Citation, believe it or not, you should remove that formatting change. Depending on the situation, you might choose to leave the non-compliant (yet helpful) obvious hyperlink. You could remove the hyperlink altogether. Or you could change the formatting so the hyperlink works but is rendered in plain font, consistent with traditional legal citation.

R33 Basic Formula for Internet Sources

Citations to Internet sources follow this form: <Author Name>, <Title of Website Page>, <Main Website Title>, <pincite> <(Date source posted, with exact time of posting if available)>, <URL>.

R33.1 Author Name(s)

R33.1.1 Personal author

When available, use the name or names of the individual, personal authors of the source.

Example:

Kate Klonick, Facebook v. Sullivan, Knight First Amend. Inst. (Oct. 1, 2018), https:// knightcolumbia.org/content/facebook-v-sullivan.

R33.1.2 Institutional authors

When the name of the individual, personal author is unavailable, use the name of the institution associated with the source if one is clearly apparent. Institutional authors should be omitted if the website’s title makes the domain’s owner clear. Institutional authors should be abbreviated (see Table T12 and Table T11 for abbreviations). Excessively long institutional-author names may be truncated, such as by omitting prepositional phrases that are not needed for clear identification.

Examples:

The Pew Charitable Trusts, How Debt Collectors Are Transforming State Courts, Pew (May 6, 2020), https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/06/debt-collectors-to-consumers.pdf

Economic Liberty, Inst. for Just., https://ij.org/issues/economic-liberty/ (last visited July 6, 2021).

Community Standards Enforcement Report, Facebook (Nov. 2019), https://transparency.facebook.com /community-standards-enforcement

R33.1.3 Forum authors

For web posts and comments, use the actual name of the post author, or the username of the post author if the actual name is not available. For comments, the author of the comment should be included if available, but the author of the original post need not be cited.

R33.1.4 Unavailable author name

If the name of the author is unavailable in each of the above forms, it may be omitted from the basic formula.

R33.2 Content Title

R33.2.1 Specific webpage title

Include the particular cited webpage as the source title (roughly equivalent to citing the title of an article). This title should be based on either the title bar or the heading of that page as viewed in the browser.

Examples:

Mike Masnick, Left Shark Bites Back: 3D Printer Sculptor Hires Lawyer to Respond to Katy Perry’s Bogus Takedown, TechDirt (Feb. 9, 2015, 12:27 PM), https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150209/11373729960/left-shark-bites-back-3d-printer-sculptor-hires-lawyer-to-respond-to-katy-perrys-bogus-takedown.shtml.

Priority Legis.—U.S. House and Senate, Nat’l Cannabis Indus. Ass’n, https://thecannabisindustry.org/government-affairs/priority-legislation-us-senate/ (last visited July 6, 2021).

R33.2.2 Shortened content title

The content title should be informative but not unduly long, if possible without compromising clarity and precision.

R33.2.3 Comments and other related pages

Include the title of certain pages linked from main website when relevant, including postings, comments, and titles of subheadings (in italics). Where relevant, as in comments, subheadings should indicate their relationship to the page to which they are responsive.

Example:

Nasch, Re: Costumes, IP, and Ownership Rights, Comment to Left Shark Bites Back, TechDirt (Feb. 14, 2015, 9:55 AM), https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150209/11373729960/left-shark-bites-back-3d-printer-sculptor-hires-lawyer-to-respond-to-katy-perrys-bogus-takedown.shtml.

R33.3 Main Website Title

R33.3.1 Overall title

Provide the internet source’s overall website title (roughly equivalent to the publication title in a periodical citation). Use the name of the home page; the title given in the blog’s header; or, in the unlikely event no name is given, the website’s top-level domain name (as distinct from the specific URL provided later in the citation).

R33.3.2 Abbreviation

Title should be abbreviated per Table T11, Table T12, and Table T15.

Example:

Priority Legis.—U.S. House and Senate, Nat’l Cannabis Indus. Ass’n, https://thecannabisindustry.org/government-affairs/priority-legislation-us-senate/ (last visited July 6, 2021).

R33.4 Pincite

R33.4.1 Paginated electronic publication, or publication of print version

Include when an electronic document preserves the pagination of a printed version. Cite to pages as they would appear on the document if printed.

Example:

James Huguenin-Love, Song on Wire: A Technical Analysis of ReDigi and the Pre-Owned Digital Media Marketplace, 4 N.Y.U. J. Intell. Prop. & Ent. L. 1, 4 (2014), http://jipel.law.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/JIPEL-Winter-2014-Edition.pdf.

R33.5 Date & Time

Include the date of the webpage or publication, as published on the website. The date may be found at the top, similar to a byline or at the bottom similar to a sign-off. Include the exact time of publication if given.

Examples:

Laura Moy, Public Knowledge & Consumers Petition Copyright Office for Right to Unlock Access to Their Own Stuff, Public Knowledge Blogs (Nov. 3, 2014), https://www.publicknowledge.org/news-blog/blogs/public-knowledge-consumers-petition-copyright-office-for-right-to-unlock-ac.

Chris Cillizza, Winners and Losers of the 2014 Midterm Elections, Wash. Post Blogs (Nov. 5, 2014, 10:25 AM), http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/11/04/winners-and-losers-of-the-2014-election-early-edition/.

R33.5.1 Time not needed

Omit time if the source is not updated throughout the day or if there is no time listed.

R33.5.2 Last visited

If no date is provided, add a parenthetical indicating the “last modified” or “last updated” date for the URL, or, if none of the above are provided, use the “last visited” date. Any date cited in one of these three formats should be placed after the URL in the citation.

Example:

ESPN, http://www.espn.go.com/ (last visited July 5, 2021).

R33.6 URL

R33.6.1 Entire URL preferred

Cite in its entirety unless the URL is especially long or unwieldy (a very high standard, given how long most URLs are).

R33.6.2

If the URL is too long and unwieldy, cite just to the root URL and include a parenthetical directing the user to the specific material cited.

Example:

Google Books Ngram Viewer, Google, https://books.google.com/ngrams (select corpus “English Fiction”; then search for “Arrakis”) (last visited Apr. 17, 2012).

R33.6.3 Archived URL

When helpful (such as to preserve a site that may change or to preserve a site for future readers), include URL to an archived version of the webpage in brackets.

Example:

Kevin Underhill, Gollum Experts to Testify, Says Court, Lowering the Bar (Dec. 4, 2015), http://www.loweringthebar.net/2015/12/gollum-experts.html [https://web.archive.org/web/20151208124302/http://www.loweringthebar.net/2015/12/gollum-experts.html].

R33.6.4 Multiple URLs

When a website is served by multiple URLs, use the primary one. When a source is published on multiple URLs (such as a law-firm website and a content aggregator), use the most authoritative and original website.

R33.7 Social media

Include the author’s name, handle or other identifying information parenthetically, the platform, parenthetical with the exact date and time posted, followed by the URL of the post.

Example:

American Bar Association (@ABAesq), Twitter (July 6, 2021, 8:11 PM), https://twitter.com/ABAesq/status/1412564952846581761?s=20.

R34 Short Form Citations for Internet Sources

After a full citation to an internet source, an appropriate short form may be used. Id. can be used to refer to an internet source, consistent with Rule R6. The short form supra can be used to shorten the full citation where id. is not appropriate.

A bracketed parenthetical also may also be used to provide a short-form definition, if needed to avoid ambiguity or to preserve clarity. When citing directly to Internet sources, the “hereinafter” bracketed parenthetical should come right after the URL or, if applicable, the “last visited” parenthetical.

Example (full citation):

Example (short form):

Cillizza, supra.

Example (full citation):

Superfan Suits, http://www.superfansuits.com/ (last visited Feb. 21, 2015).

Example (short form):

Superfan Suits, supra.

Example (full citation):

Ohio’s Official Online Publication of State Laws and Regulations, https://codes.ohi (last visited July 6, 2021) [hereinafter, “Ohio Official Online State Laws”].

Example (short form):

Ohio Official Online State Laws, supra.

H. TABLES

T1 Federal Materials

T1.1 Federal Judicial Materials

Materials	Date	Citation
United States Supreme Court (U.S.): Cite to U.S., if possible. If not, cite to S. Ct. If that’s not possible, cite to L. Ed. If you can cite to none of the above, cite to U.S.L.W.
United States Reports
91 U.S. to date	1875–date	U.S.
Wallace	1863–1874	e.g., 68 U.S. (1 Wall.)
Black	1861–1862	e.g., 66 U.S. (1 Black)
Howard	1843–1860	e.g., 42 U.S. (1 How.)
Peters	1828–1842	e.g., 26 U.S. (1 Pet.)
Wheaton	1816–1827	e.g., 14 U.S. (1 Wheat.)
Cranch	1801–1815	e.g., 5 U.S. (1 Cranch)
Dallas	1790–1800	e.g., 1 U.S. (1 Dall.)
Supreme Court Reporter	1882–date	S. Ct.
United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers’ Edition	1790–date	L. Ed., L. Ed. 2d
United States Law Week	1933–date	U.S.L.W.
Circuit Justices (e.g., Gorsuch, J., in chambers): Cite to U.S. if possible; otherwise, cite to S. Ct., Rapp’s Reports, L. Ed., or U.S.L.W. in that order of preference. For more on Rapp’s Reports and in-chambers opinions by a single justice, see In-Chambers Opinions (Cynthia Rapp, Ross E. Davies & Ira Brad Metetsky, eds.), http://www.greenbag.org/green_bag_press/in-chambers%20opinions/in-chambers%20opinions.html and the Journal of In-Chambers Practice (Ira Brad Metetsky, ed.), http://journaloflaw.us/10%20JICP/JICP_home.html Some cases presided over by Circuit Justices are found in other reporters. After the citation, indicate the Circuit Justice and applicable circuit parenthetically as in this example: (Jackson, Circuit Justice, 2d Cir. 1950).
United States Courts of Appeals (1st Cir., 2d Cir., 3d Cir., 4th Cir., 5th Cir., 6th Cir., 7th Cir., 8th Cir., 9th Cir., 10th Cir., 11th Cir., and D.C. Cir.): Cite to F., F.2d, F.3d, or F.4th.
Federal Reporter	1891–date	F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th
Federal Appendix	2001–2021	F. App’x
Circuit Courts (e.g., C.C.S.D.N.Y., C.C.D. Cal.) (abolished 1912): Cite to F. or F. Cas.
Federal Reporter	1880–1912	F.
Federal Cases	1789–1880	F. Cas.
Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals (Temp. Emer. Ct. App.) (1971–1993), Emergency Court of Appeals (Emer. Ct. App.) (created 1942, abolished 1961), and Commerce Court (Comm. Ct.) (created 1910, abolished 1913): Cite to F. or F.2d.
Federal Reporter	1910–1993	F., F.2d
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir.) (created 1982), successor to the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (C.C.P.A.) (previously the Court of Customs Appeals (Ct. Cust. App.)) and the appellate jurisdiction of the Court of Claims (Ct. Cl.): Cite to F., F.2d, F.3d, or F.4th; else, cite to the official reporter.
Federal Reporter	1910–date	F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th
Court of Claims Reports	1956–1982	Ct. Cl.
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals Reports	1929–1982	C.C.P.A.
Court of Customs Appeals Reports	1910–1929	Ct. Cust.
United States Court of Federal Claims (Fed. Cl.) (created 1992), formerly United States Claims Court (Cl. Ct.) (created 1982), and successor to the original jurisdiction of the Court of Claims (Ct. Cl.): Cite to one of the following reporters:
Federal Claims Reporter	1992–date	Fed. Cl.
United States Claims Court Reporter	1983–1992	Cl. Ct.
Federal Reporter	1930–1932	F.2d
	1960–1982	F.2d
Federal Supplement	1932–1960	F. Supp.
Court of Claims Reports	1863–1982	Ct. Cl.
United States Court of International Trade (Ct. Int’l Trade) (created 1980), formerly United States Customs Court (Cust. Ct.) (created 1926): Cite to the official reporters, if possible; if not, in the following order, cite to F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, or F. Supp. 3d to Cust. B. & Dec. (an official publication), or to I.T.R.D. (BL).
Court of International Trade Reports	1980–date	Ct. Int’l Trade
Customs Court Reports	1938–1980	Cust. Ct.
Federal Supplement	1980–date	F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d
Customs Bulletin and Decisions	1967–date	Cust. B. & Dec.
International Trade Reporter Decisions	1980–date	I.T.R.D. (BL)
District Courts (e.g., D. Mass., S.D.N.Y.): Cite F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d, F.R.D., or B.R. If the case is not published in the priority reporters above, cite to Fed. R. Serv., Fed. R. Serv. 2d, or Fed. R. Serv. 3d. For cases before 1932, cite to F., F.2d, or F. Cas. Use Table T9 for court abbreviations and Table T12 for geographical abbreviations to construct the proper abbreviation for the District Court, such as C.D. Cal. and D.N.M.
Federal Supplement	1932–date	F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d
Federal Rules Decisions	1938–date	F.R.D.
West’s Bankruptcy Reporter	1979–date	B.R.
Federal Rules Service	1938–date	Fed. R. Serv. (Callaghan), Fed. R. Serv. 2d (Callaghan), Fed. R. Serv. 3d (West)
Federal Reporter	1880–1932	F., F.2d
Federal Cases	1789–1880	F. Cas.
Citations to F. Cas. should give the case number parenthetically. Example: Davey v. The Mary Frost, 7 F. Cas. 11 (E.D. Tx. 1876) (No. 3591).
Bankruptcy Courts and Bankruptcy Appellate Panels (e.g., Bankr. N.D. Cal.; B.A.P. 1st Cir.), cite to B.R.; else, cite to a looseleaf service.
Bankruptcy Reporter	1979–date	B.R.
Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (J.P.M.L.) (created 1968) and Special Court, Regional Rail Reorganization Act (Reg’l Rail Reorg. Ct.) (created 1973): Cite to F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d., or F. Supp. 3d.
Federal Supplement	1968–date	F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d
Tax Court (T.C.) (created 1942), previously Board of Tax Appeals (B.T.A.), cite to T.C. or B.T.A.; else, cite to T.C.M. (CCH), T.C.M. (P-H), T.C.M. (RIA), or B.T.A.M. (P-H).
United States Tax Court Reports	1942–date	T.C.
Reports of the United States Board of Tax Appeals	1924–1942	B.T.A.
Tax Court Memorandum Decisions	1942–date	T.C.M. (CCH)
	1942–1991	T.C.M. (P-H)
	1991–date	T.C.M. (RIA)
Board of Tax Appeals Memorandum Decisions	1928–1942	B.T.A.M. (P-H)
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Vet. App.), previously United States Court of Veterans Appeals (Vet. App.) (created 1988), cite to Vet. App.
West’s Veterans Appeals Reporter	1990–date	Vet. App.
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (C.A.A.F.), previously United States Court of Military Appeals (C.M.A.): Cite to C.M.A.
Decisions of the United States Court of Military Appeals	1951–1975	C.M.A.
West’s Military Justice Reporter	1978–date	M.J.
Court Martial Reports	1951–1975	C.M.R.
Military Service Courts of Criminal Appeals (A. Ct. Crim. App., A.F. Ct. Crim. App., C.G. Ct. Crim. App., N-M. Ct. Crim. App.), previously Courts of Military Review (e.g., A.C.M.R.), previously Boards of Review (e.g., A.B.R.): For cases after 1950, cite to M.J. or C.M.R. For earlier cases, cite to the official reporter.
West’s Military Justice Reporter	1975–date	M.J.
Court Martial Reports	1951–1975	C.M.R.

T1.2 Federal Statutory Materials

For statutory compilations, cite to the United States Code (U.S.C.)
United States Code		<tit. no.> U.S.C. § x
Note: 26 U.S.C. may be abbreviated as I.R.C.		26 I.R.C. § x
United States Code Annotated		<tit. no.> U.S.C.A. § x (West)
United States Code Service		<tit. no.> U.S.C.S. § x (LexisNexis)
Session laws
United States Statutes at Large		<vol. no.> Stat. <page no.> (<year>)
For public laws before 1957, cite by chapter number; for subsequent public laws, cite by public law number.
Note that the year of the code section is not required, but may be included if appropriate to the citation context. The exact date of the unofficial publisher’s “current through” date may also be provided if relevant and helpful to the citation context.

T2 Federal Administrative and Executive Materials

Administrative Materials
Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA)
Decisions: Cite decisions as: <case name>, ASBCA No. <decision number>, <citation to services> For citations to the Board of Contract Appeals Decisions (BCA), published by Commerce Clearing House, the publisher is not indicated and the volume number should be used to indicate the year of the decision. Example: RMTC Sys., Inc., ASBCA No. 43466, 93-1 BCA ¶ 25,508.
Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA)
Decisions: Cite the same way as a citation for the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, but include the opposing agency in the case name. Example: G2G, LLC v. Dept. of Commerce, CBCA 4845-R, 15-1 BCA ¶ 36,163.
Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA)
Decisions: Cite decisions as: <case name>, ASBCA No. <decision number>, <citation to services> For citations to the Board of Contract Appeals Decisions (BCA), published by Commerce Clearing House, the publisher is not indicated and the volume number should be used to indicate the year of the decision.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Decisions: Cite as <case name>, CFTC No. <docket number>, <secondary source if available> (<date>). Example: Windjammer Capital LLC v. Glob. Futures Exch. & Trading Co., Inc., CFTC No. 14-R1, 2015 WL 9434227 (Dec. 22, 2015).
Interpretive Letters, No-Action Letters, and Exemptive Letters: Cite a service or an electronic database. Include the full name of the correspondent if available, the CFTC docket number, and the full date on which the letter became publicly available.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Decisions: Cite as <case name>, CFPB No. <decision number>, <secondary source if available> (<date>). Example: American Express Travel Related Servs., Inc., CFPB No. 2013-CFPB-0013 (Dec. 24, 2013).
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Decisions: Cite to the Agriculture Decisions (Agric. Dec). Example: Arizona Livestock Auction, Inc., 55 Agric Dec. 1121 (U.S.D.A. 1996).
Directives: Cite as: <issuing agency abbreviated according to table below> <directive number>, <directive title> (U.S.D.A. <year>).
Agricultural Marketing Service	AMS
Agricultural Research Service	ARS 218
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	APHIS
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion	CNPP
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service	CSREES
Economic Research Service	ERS
Farm Service Agency	FSA
Food and Nutrition Service	FNS
Food Safety and Inspection Service	FSIS
Foreign Agricultural Service	FAS
Forest Service	FS
Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration	GIPSA
National Agricultural Library	NAL
National Agricultural Statistics Service	NASS
National Institute of Food and Agriculture	NIFA
National Resources Conservation Service	NRCS
Risk Management Agency	RMA
Rural Development	RD
Rural Housing Service	RHS
Rural Utilities Service	RUS
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Decisions in Consistency Appeals Under the Coastal Zone Management Act: Citation format for decisions of the Secretary of Commerce under the Coastal Zone Management Act: Decision and Findings in the Consistency Appeal of <party name>, from an objection by <state or relevant state agency’s name> (Sec’y of Commerce <date>). If these decisions are not published in an official reporter; indicate the source where the decision is located.
Other NOAA Decisions: For decisions of administrative law judges in civil administrative law cases, cite to the Ocean Resources and Wildlife Reporter (O.R.W.); else cite to an appropriate secondary source.
Decisions of the Administrator for Appeals (NOAA App.) should so specify.
Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Decisions: For decisions of the Commissioner of Patents, cite to Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents (Dec. Comm’r Pat.) following Rule 19 but including all procedural phrases in party names.
For decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (P.T.A.B.), cite as <case name>, No. <docket number>, <citation to secondary source> (P.T.A.B. <year>). Use the U.S.P.Q.2d as the preferred secondary source in these citations if available, rather than a commercial database.
For decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that are not published but available on a website or otherwise, cite as Ex parte <Name>, decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Patent No. <case xxx,xxx,xxx>, paper No. <xxx>, <xxx> pages. See Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 707.06.
For decisions of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (T.T.A.B.), cite as: <case name>, <citation to secondary source> (T.T.A.B. <year>). Use the U.S.P.Q.2d as the preferred secondary source in these citations if available, rather than a commercial database.
Pre-Sept. 16, 2012: For decisions by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (B.P.A.I.), cite as: <party name>, No. <docket number>, <citation to secondary source if available> (B.P.A.I. <date>).
Patents:
Cite the patent number and the date the patent was filed. Example: U.S. Patent No. 8,112,504 B2 (filed Mar. 4, 2009)
The patent name and/or issuing date may be included if relevant. System for disseminating media content representing episodes in a serialized sequence, U.S. Patent No. 8,112,504 B2 (filed Mar. 4, 2009) (issued Feb. 7, 2012)
For citations to a specific field of the title page, include the field code in brackets. Example: U.S. Patent No. 8,112,504 B2, at [75] (filed Mar. 4, 2009)
For citations to a specific portion of patent text, a patent figure, or an item within a figure. Example: U.S. Patent No. 8,112,504 B2, fig. 1, item 141 (filed Mar. 4, 2009)
Short form patent citations include an apostrophe followed by the last three digits of the patent number. Example: ’504 Patent.
Trademarks:
For registered trademarks, cite as <TRADEMARK NAME>, Registration No. <registration number>. Example: THE BLUEBOOK A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF CITATION, Registration No. 3,886,986.
For trademarks that have been filed, but not approved, cite as U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. <Serial Number> (filed <date>). Example: U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 86,680,743 (filed Jul. 1, 2015).
Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office (1872–1971)	Off. Gaz. Pat. Office
Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (1975–2002)	Off. Gaz. Pat. & Trademark Office
Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure	TMEP (Oct. 2018)
Manual of Patent Examining Procedure	MPEP (9th ed., Rev. 10.2019, June 2020)
Department of Education
Reports: Cite Institution of Education Sciences reports as Institution of Education Sciences, <title> <page> (<date>). Example: Institute of Education Sciences, National Board for Education Sciences Annual Report 12 (2014).
Reports: Cite federal student aid proceedings as <case name>, U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. <docket number> (<date>). Example: Lincoln Univ., U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. 13-68-SF (Mar. 16, 2015).
Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection
The two official reporters of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and its predecessors are the Administrative Decisions Under Immigration and Nationality Laws (I. & N. Dec.) and the Customs Bulletin and Decisions (Cust. B. & Dec).
Department of Justice
Advisory Opinions: For published, formal advisory opinions, cite in the same manner as adjudications. Cite opinions from the Attorney General as Opinions of the Attorneys General (Op. Att’y Gen.). Cite opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel as Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice (Op. O.L.C.). Examples: Authority of Sec’y of Treasury to Compromise Final Judgments, 36 U.S. Op. Att’y Gen. 40 (1929) Diversion of Water from Niagara River, 30 Op. Att’y Gen. 217 (1913). U.S. Assistance to Countries that Shoot Down Civil Aircraft Involved in Drug Trafficking, 18 Op. O.L.C. 148, 165 (1994). Cite precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to Administrative Decisions Under Immigration and Nationality Laws (I. & N. Dec.) as published by the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
Department of Labor
Decisions in Petition for Modification Cases Under Section 101(c) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. § 811(c): Cite as <description of decision>, <case name>, Docket No. <docket number> (Dep’t of Labor <date>). Note that these decisions have not been reported in any official reporter or service.
Decisions in Enforcement Actions Brought by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs: Cite as <case name>, <docket number>, <description of decision> (Dep’t of Labor <date>). Note that these decisions have not been reported in any official reporter or service. Example: OFCCP v. Bank of Am., 97-OFC-16, Secretary's Decision and Order of Remand (Dep't of Labor Mar. 31, 2003).
Decisions by the Benefits Review Board: Cite to a service. Example: Jones v. I.T.O. Corp. of Baltimore, 9 Ben. Rev. Bd. Serv. (MB) 583, 585 (1979).
Opinions: Cite as <Name of agency, Name of subagency if applicable>, <Title of Letter>, <Date>,<Further publication information or URL>. Example: U.S. Dep’t of Labor, Wage and Hour Div., Opinion Letter FLSA2021-2 (Jan. 8, 2021), https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/opinion-letters/FLSA/2021_01_08_02_FLSA.pdf.
Department of the Interior
Cite agency decisions to Interior Decisions (Interior Dec.) or Interior and General Land Office Cases Relating to Public Lands (Pub. Lands Dec.). Where a board within the agency issues the opinion, note the board in the same parenthetical as the date, using these abbreviations:
Interior Board of Land Appeals	IBLA
Interior Board of Indian Appeals	DBIA
Interior Board of Contract Appeals	IBCA
Example: Shell Offshore, Inc., 94 Interior Dec. 69 (IBLA 1987).
Department of State
Reports: For reports of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, cite as: U.S. Dep’t of State, Bureau of Democracy, H.R. and Lab., <title> <page> (<date>). Example: U.S. Dep’t of State, Bureau of Democracy, H.R. and Lab., International Religious Freedom Report 14 (2014).
Department of the Treasury
Regulations: For Department of Treasury regulations, cite as <Treas. Reg.>, despite the fact that they are published under Title 26 of the C.F.R.
For unamended regulations, cite the year. Example: Treas. Reg. § 1.41-2 (1989). Indicate if the regulation is a temporary regulation by beginning the citation with Temp: Example: Temp. Treas. Reg. § 5e.274-8 (1982).
For specific questions and answers, cite as: Example: Treas. Reg. § 1.72-16(a), Q&A (3)(a) (1963).
If any subsection of the cited section has been amended or appears in substantially different versions, give the year of the most recent amendment. Follow this rule even if the particular subsection you are citing has never been amended. Example: Treas. Reg. § 1.41-2 (as amended in 2001).
Indicate when the source of the amendment is relevant. Example: Treas. Reg. § 1.41-2 (as amended by T.D. 8930, 65 FR 287).
For proposed Treasury regulations to the Federal Register, cite in the following manner: Example: Prop. Treas. Reg. § 1.704-1, 48 Fed. Reg. 9871, 9872 (Mar. 9, 1983).
Treasury Determinations: Cite Revenue Rulings, Revenue Procedures, and Treasury Decisions to the Cumulative Bulletin (C.B.) or its advance sheet, the Internal Revenue Bulletin (I.R.B.), or to Treasury Decisions Under Internal Revenue Laws (Treas. Dec. Int. Rev.), in that order of preference.
The numbering of the Cumulative Bulletin is as follows: By volume number from 1919 to 1921. By volume number and part number from 1921 to 1936. By year and part number from 1937 to date. The abbreviations used are explained in the introductory pages of each volume of the Cumulative Bulletin.
Private Letter Rulings: Cite by number and the date issued, if available.
Technical Advice Memoranda: Cite by number and the date issued, if available.
General Counsel Memoranda: Cite by number and the date on which the memorandum was approved.
Other Treasury Determinations: For all other Treasury materials, cite to the Cumulative Bulletin, Internal Revenue Bulletin, or Internal Revenue Manual (IRM). Delegation Orders (Deleg. Order) Treasury Orders (Treas. Order) Treasury Directives (Treas. Dir.) Notices, Announcements, and News Releases Otherwise cite by number and date issued.
Cases: For the Tax Court and Board of Tax Appeals, cite as those of a court, not of an agency.
Acquiescence: The following may be indicated in the case citation if the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service has published an acquiescence (acq.), acquiescence in result only (acq. In result), or nonacquiescence (nonacq.) in a decision of the Tax Court or Board of Tax Appeals.
Action on Decision: To cite an action on decision (action on dec) as subsequent history, include its identifying number, if any, and its full date.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Decisions: For Environmental Administrative Decisions (E.A.D.) indicate the decision maker—either the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) or an administrative law judge—if the source does not make it obvious. Example: Donald Cutler, 11 E.A.D. 622, 623 (EAB 2004).
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Decisions: For EEOC decisions that do not have readily identifiable titles, cite using the decision number in place of the title. Otherwise cite per Rule 19.3. Example: Budnik v. Chertoff, EEOC DOC 0520070154 (2006).
For EEOC Federal Sector decisions that have party names, cite in accordance with Rule 11.2.
Executive Office of the President
Executive Orders, Presidential Proclamations, and Reorganization Plans: Cite by page number to 3 C.F.R. However, since all executive orders are not reprinted in successive years of the C.F.R., cite to the original year, rather than the most recent edition of the C.F.R. Where relevant, include a parallel citation to the U.S.C. Example: Exec. Order 13,136, 3 C.F.R. 216 (Sep. 3, 1999).
If the material is not in the C.F.R., cite to the Federal Register. Example: Exec. Order 14,023, 86 Fed. Reg. 19569 (April 9, 2021).
A parallel citation to the Statutes at Large may also be given.
Other Presidential Papers: Cite to Public Papers of the Presidents (Papers) if found there. If not recorded in the Public Papers, cite the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc.), published from 1965 to January 29, 2009, the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents (Daily Comp. Pres. Doc.), published from January 29, 2009 to date, or the U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News (U.S.C.C.A.N.).
Budgets: Use the structure of book citations for governmental budgets. Example: Office of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Office of the President, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2014 (2013).
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Decisions: For decisions of administrative law judges in civil penalty enforcement matters adjudicated under 14 C.F.R. pt. 13, § 13.16 and subpart G, cite per Rule R12.4 as slip opinions.
For Decisions of the Administrator or his delegate, cite using an order number, not a docket number.
For Decisions of the Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition (ODRA) adjudicated under 14 C.F.R. Part 17, the citation should incorporate the type of dispute.
For other FAA decisions and orders, the citation should indicate the nature of the decision, followed by the date.
Examples: Federal Express Corporation, FAA Order No. 2002-20, 2002 WL 31777976 (F.A.A.). Envirosolve, LLC, FAA Order No. 2006-2, 2006 WL 465371 (Feb. 7, 2006). Aerocomp, Inc., FAA Order No. 2006-1, Order Dismissing Appeal (Jan. 12, 2006).
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Cite to the Federal Communications Commission Reports (F.C.C., F.C.C.2d), published 1934-1986, or the Federal Communications Commission Record (FCC Rcd.), published since 1986. Example: Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet, GN Docket No. 14-28, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 29 FCC Rcd. 5561 (2014).
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Cite decisions to the Federal Energy Guidelines: FERC Reports (FERC). Example: Filing of Privileged Materials and Answers to Motions, Order No. 769, 141 FERC ¶ 61,049 (2012).
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
Cite decisions to the Decisions of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (F.L.R.A.).
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC)
Cite decisions to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission Decisions (FMSHRC).
Federal Reserve System
Enforcement Actions: Cite written agreements resulting from enforcement actions as: Written Agreement between <private bank name> and <Federal Reserve Bank name>, Docket no. <docket number> (<date>). Example: Written Agreement Between Allied First Bancorp, Inc. and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Docket No. 14-006-WA/RB-HC (2014).
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Cite decisions to the Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.).
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Bid Protest Decisions: Cite to Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States (Comp. Gen.). Example: Space Communications Co., 66 Comp. Gen. 2 (1987).
For unpublished decisions to a readily accessible source, cite as: <protesting party>, <docket number>, <volume number or year> <source> <location within source volume or year> (Comp. Gen. <date>). Do not indicate the publisher when citing these cases to the Comptroller General’s Procurement Decision, published by West. Examples: HP Enterprise Services, LLC, B-405692, 2012 CPD ¶ 13 (Comp. Gen. Dec. 14, 2011). Phoenix Environmental Design, Inc., B-412503, 2016 WL 873296 (Comp. Gen. Mar. 7, 2016).
Insert “et al.” after the docket number where a decision resolves multiple bid protests, each having its own docket number. Example: IAP-Hill, LLC, B-406289 et al, 2012 CPD ¶ 151 (Comp. Gen. Apr. 4, 2012).
International Trade Commission (USITC)
Trade Remedy Investigations: Cite as: <investigation name>, Inv. No. <number>, USITC Pub. <number> (<date>) (<status>). Indicate where a single decision contains multiple investigation numbers. Examples: Trade and Investment Polices in India, 2014–2015, Inv. No. 332-550, USITC Pub. 4566 (Sep. 2015). The Year in Trade 2014: Operation of the Trade Agreements Program, USITC Pub. 4543 (July 2015). Polyvinyl Alcohol from China, Japan, and Taiwan, Inv. Nos. 701-TA-309, 731-TA-528, 731-TA-529, USITC Pub. 4067 (Mar. 27, 2009) (Review).
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)
Cite decisions to the Decisions of the United States Merit Systems Protection Board (M.S.P.B.).
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Cite decisions and orders to the Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board (N.L.R.B.).
National Mediation Board (NMB)
Cite decisions to the Decisions of the National Mediation Board (N.M.B.).
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Cite decisions to the National Transportation Safety Board Decisions (N.T.S.B.), published from 1967-1977.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
For decisions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, cite to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issuances (N.R.C.). For decisions of its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission (1956–1975), cite to the Atomic Energy Commission Reports (A.E.C.).
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC)
Decisions: For commission decisions reported in a service, cite as: <party name>, <service volume number> <publisher> <service, abbreviated as below> <page/paragraph number> (No. <docket number>, <year>). Example: US Pagoda, Inc., CCH OSHD ¶ 33123 (No. 10-2035, 2011).
At the end of a citation, indicate parenthetically when an administrative law judge issued the decision, rather than the commission. Example: Miller Construction Co., 24 BL OSHC 1817 (No. 13-0323, 2013) (ALJ).
The abbreviations OSHRC uses for services reporting its decisions vary from those in Table T4 as follows:
Occupational Safety & Health Cases (BL)	BL OSHC
Occupational Safety & Health Decisions (CCH)	CCH OSHD
A decision that is not cited in any service or database may be cited as an unpublished slip opinion following the format in Rule R12.4. Example: Prime Roofing Corp., No. 07-1409 (OSHRC Feb. 5, 2008), https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/06/debt-collectors-to-consumers.pdf
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Interpretive Letters, No-Action Letters, and Exemptive Letters: Cite a looseleaf service or an electronic database. In the citation, include the correspondent’s full name and the date that the letter became publicly available. Examples: Poplogix LLC, SEC No-Action Letter, 2010 WL 4472794 (Nov. 5, 2010). MP Environmental Funding LLC, SEC Interpretive Letter, 2007 WL 2838964 (Sep. 19, 2007)
Releases: Cite the Federal Register, SEC Docket, or a loose-leaf service. Releases that have subject-matter title may be presented in a short form. Make sure to include the act under which the release was issued, the release number, and the date. Example: SEC Whistleblower Rules, Exchange Act Release No. 75592, 80 Fed. Reg 47829 (Aug. 10, 2015).
If the release is an adjudication, abbreviate the parties’ names according to Rule 11. Example: Midas Sec., LLC, Exchange Act Release No. 66200, 102 SEC Docket 3123, 102 SEC Docket 3137 (Jan. 20, 2012).
If the adjudication occurred before an administrative law judge, indicate this fact in the date parenthetical.
If a particular release is issued under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the Investment Company Act, a parallel citation should be given in that order.
Staff Interpretations: Cite SEC Staff Accounting Bulletins, Staff Legal Bulletins, and Telephone Interpretations as follows: Example: SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99, 64 Fed. Reg. 45150 (Aug. 19, 1999).
SEC Filings: For annual reports, proxy statements, and other company filings required under federal securities laws, provide the name of the company (abbreviated according to Rule 15), the title as given in the document, the form type in parentheses, the page number if applicable, and the full date of filing with the SEC. Example: Apple Inc., Annual Report (Form 10-K), (Oct. 28, 2015).
If citing annual reports, proxy statements, or other documents in a form other than that filed with the SEC, treat as books under Rule 15. Example: Facebook, Inc., 2014 Annual Report (2014).
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Decisions: Cite decisions as: <party name>, SBA No. <docket number> (<date>). Example: OxyHeal Medical Systems, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-5707 (Jan. 19, 2016).
The docket number indicates the type of decision:
Small disadvantaged business	SDBA
Size determination	SIZ
Service-disabled veteran-owned business	VET
Business development program	BDP
North American Industry Classification System	NAICS
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Rulings and Acquiescence Rulings: For Social Security Rulings, cite as SSR; for Social Security Acquiescence Rulings, cite as SSAR. Cite to the Social Security Rulings, Cumulative Edition (S.S.R. Cum. Ed.). If not published there, cite to another official source, such as the Code of Federal Regulations or the Federal Register. Otherwise, cite a commercial database or other source. Example: SSR 62-2, 1960-1974 Soc. Sec. Rep. Serv. 69 (Jan. 1, 1962).
Surface Transportation Board (STB)
For materials from the Surface Transportation Board, cite to the Surface Transportation Board Reporter (S.T.B.). For materials from its predecessor, cite to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), to the Interstate Commerce Commission Reporter (I.C.C., I.C.C. 2d).
The official date for unpublished decisions is the date on which the decision was served on the parties or otherwise filed by the STB (or ICC). Do not cite the date of the decision.

T3 U.S. States and Other Jurisdictions

This table provides a uniform standard for citing state and U.S. territorial legal sources. It also provides selected Local Notes on state-specific practices. This table does not attempt to comprehensively address state-specific citation rules and customs; indeed, its primary use is simply to illustrate that many states’ legal-citation practices vary widely from the Uniform System of Citation. To dig deep into a particular state’s citations rules and customs, refer to court websites, court rules, and state style manuals if available, as well as the expertise of law librarians and legal professionals. See also Peter Martin, Introduction to Basic Legal Citation § 7-500, Table of State-Specific Citation Norms and Practices, https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/7-500. Updates and suggested Local Notes may be provided to the editors of The Indigo Book.

Category	Dates	Abbreviation
Alabama
Supreme Court (Ala.): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1886–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Alabama Reports	1840–1976	Ala.
Porter	1834–1839	Port.
Stewart and Porter	1831–1834	Stew. & P.
Stewart	1827–1831	Stew.
Minor	1820–1826	Minor
Court of Civil Appeals (Ala. Civ. App.) and Court of Criminal Appeals (Ala. Crim. App.), before 1969 Court of Appeals (Ala. Ct. App.): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1911–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Alabama Appellate Courts Reports	1911–1974	Ala. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ala. Code (published by West).
Code of Alabama, 1975 (West)		Ala. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
Michie’s Alabama Code, 1975 (LexisNexis)		Ala. Code § x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ala. Laws.
Alabama Laws		<year> Ala. Laws <page no.>
West’s Alabama Legislative Service		<year> Ala. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Michie’s Alabama Code <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ala. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
Alabama Administrative Code		Ala. Admin. Code r. x-x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Alabama Administrative Monthly		<vol. no.> Ala. Admin. Monthly <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Alaska
Supreme Court (Alaska): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1960–date	P.2d, P.3d
Court of Appeals (Alaska Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1980–date	P.2d, P.3d
District Courts of Alaska (D. Alaska): These courts had local jurisdiction from 1884 to 1959. Cite to F. Supp., F., or F.2d; else, cite to Alaska or Alaska Fed., in that order of preference.
Federal Supplement	1946–1959	F. Supp.
Federal Reporter	1886–1932	F., F.2d
Alaska Reports	1887–1958	Alaska
Alaska Federal Reports	1869–1937	Alaska Fed.
United States District Courts for California and Oregon, and District Courts of Washington (D. Cal., D. Or., D. Wash.): These courts had local jurisdiction in Alaska until 1884. Cite to F. or F. Cas.
Federal Reporter	1880–1884	F.
Federal Cases	1867–1880	F. Cas.
Alaska Federal Reports	1869–1937	Alaska Fed.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Alaska Stat.
Alaska Statutes (LexisNexis)		Alaska Stat. § x.x.x (<year>)
West’s Alaska Statutes Annotated		Alaska Stat. Ann. § x.x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Alaska Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Alaska		<year> Alaska Sess. Laws <page no.>
Alaska Statutes <year> Advance Legislative Service		<year>-<pamph. no.> Alaska Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Alaska Legislative Service		<year> Alaska Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Alaska Administrative Code (LexisNexis)		Alaska Admin. Code tit. x, § x.x (<year>)
Arizona
Supreme Court (Ariz.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Arizona Reports	1866–date	Ariz.
Court of Appeals (Ariz. Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1965–date	P.2d, P.3d
Arizona Reports	1976–date	Ariz.
Arizona Appeals Reports	1965–1977	Ariz. App.
Tax Court (Ariz. Tax Ct.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1988–date	P.2d, P.3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann.
Arizona Revised Statutes Annotated (West)		Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x (<year>)
Arizona Revised Statutes (LexisNexis)		Ariz. Rev. Stat. § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ariz. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws, Arizona		<year> Ariz. Sess. Laws <page no.>
Arizona Legislative Service (West)		<year> Ariz. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Arizona Administrative Code		Ariz. Admin. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Arizona Administrative Register		<vol. no.> Ariz. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Arkansas
Supreme Court (Ark.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1886–date	S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d
Arkansas Reports	1837–2009	Ark.
Court of Appeals (Ark. Ct. App.): Cite to S.W.2d or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1979–date	S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Arkansas Appellate Reports	1981–2009	Ark. App.
Arkansas Reports	1979–1981	Ark.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ark. Code Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated (LexisNexis)		Ark. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West's Arkansas Code Annotated		Ark. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ark. Acts.
Acts of Arkansas (West)		<year> Ark. Acts <page no.>
Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ark. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West's Arkansas Legislative Service		<year> Ark. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Arkansas Rules (LexisNexis)		x-x-x Ark. Code R. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative registers: Cite to Ark. Reg.
Arkansas Register		<vol. no.> Ark. Reg. <page no.> (<month year>)
Arkansas Government Register		<iss. no.> Ark. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: Arkansas has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after February 13, 2009. Citations include a parallel citation to the Southwestern Reports or other source. For additional instruction, consult Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 5-2. Examples: Box v. J.B. Hunt Transp., Inc., 2017 Ark. App. 605, 533 S.W.3d 603. Mounce v. Jeronimo Insulating LLC, 2021 Ark. App. 195, 2021 WL 1655901. See generally Arkansas Reporter of Decisions, House Style Guide (2010), https://courts.arkansas.gov/sites/default/files/House%20Style%20Guide%20September2010.pdf (“This House Style Guide is intended for internal use by the judiciary and staff of the Arkansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals in preparing opinions. Practitioners may also consult this House Style Guide, but must adhere to specific requirements of the Arkansas Rules of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals regarding pleadings, briefs, and other documents submitted to the supreme court and court of appeals.”)
California
Local Notes: The year of cases is indicated parenthetically after the case name. Parallel citations may be placed in brackets after the California Reports citation. Citation sentences are entirely enclosed in parentheses. Example: (Brescia v. Angelin (2009) 172 Cal.App.4th 133 [90 Cal.Rptr.3d 842]). California statutory and administrative code citations follow state-specific abbreviations, such as Cal. U. Com. Code for the California Uniform Commercial Code. See Edward W. Jessen, California Style Manual: A Handbook of Legal Style for California Courts and Lawyers (4th ed. 2000), available at http://www.sdap.org/downloads/Style-Manual.pdf
Supreme Court (Cal.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
California Reports	1850–date	Cal., Cal. 2d, Cal. 3d, Cal. 4th
West’s California Reporter	1959–date	Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d, Cal. Rptr. 3d
California Unreported Cases	1855–1910	Cal. Unrep.
Court of Appeal (Cal. Ct. App.), previously District Court of Appeal (Cal. Dist. Ct. App.): Cite to P. or P.2d (before 1960) or Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d (after 1959), or Cal. Rptr. 3d.
West’s California Reporter	1959–date	Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d, Cal. Rptr. 3d
Pacific Reporter	1905–1959	P., P.2d
California Appellate Reports	1905–date	Cal. App., Cal. App. 2d, Cal. App. 3d, Cal. App. 4th
Appellate Divisions of the Superior Court (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct.): Cite to P. or P.2d (before 1960) or to Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d (after 1959), or Cal. Rptr. 3d.
West’s California Reporter	1959–date	Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d, Cal. Rptr. 3d
Pacific Reporter	1929–1959	P., P.2d
California Appellate Reports Supplement (bound with Cal. App.)	1929–date	Cal. App. Supp., Cal. App. 2d Supp., Cal. App. 3d Supp., Cal. App. 4th Supp.
Statutory compilations: Cite to either the West or the Deering subject-matter code.
West’s Annotated California Codes		Cal. <Subject> Code § x (West <year>)
Deering’s California Codes, Annotated (LexisNexis)		Cal. <Subject> Code § x (Deering <year>)
Agricultural (renamed “Food and Agricultural” in 1972)		Agric.
Business and Professions		Bus. & Prof.
Civil		Civ.
Civil Procedure		Civ. Proc.
Commercial		Com.
Corporations		Corp.
Education		Educ.
Elections		Elec.
Evidence		Evid.
Family		Fam.
Financial		Fin.
Fish and Game		Fish & Game
Food and Agricultural (formerly “Agricultural”)		Food & Agric.
Government		Gov’t
Harbors and Navigation		Harb. & Nav.
Health and Safety		Health & Safety
Insurance		Ins.
Labor		Lab.
Military and Veterans		Mil. & Vet.
Penal		Penal
Probate		Prob.
Public Contract		Pub. Cont.
Public Resources		Pub. Res.
Public Utilities		Pub. Util.
Revenue and Taxation		Rev. & Tax.
Streets and Highways		Sts. & High.
Unemployment Insurance		Unemp. Ins.
Vehicle		Veh.
Water		Water
Welfare and Institutions		Welf. & Inst.
Session laws: Cite to Cal. Stat.
Statutes of California		<year> Cal. Stat. <page no.>
West’s California Legislative Service		<year> Cal. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Deering’s California Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Cal. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
California Code of Regulations (West)		Cal. Code Regs. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Administrative register
California Regulatory Notice Register		<iss. no.> Cal. Regulatory Notice Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Colorado
Supreme Court (Colo.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d, if found there; else, cite to Colo., if found there, or to Colo. Law. or Brief Times Rptr.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Colorado Reports	1864–1980	Colo.
Colorado Lawyer	1972–date	Colo. Law.
Brief Times Reporter	1977–1996	Brief Times Rptr.
Colorado Journal	1996–2002	Colo. J.
Law Week Colorado	2002–date	L. Week Colo.
Court of Appeals (Colo. App.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d, if found there; else, cite to Colo. App., if found there, or else to one of the other reporters listed below.
Pacific Reporter	1970–date	P.2d, P.3d
	1912–1915	P.
	1891–1905	P.
Colorado Court of Appeals Reports	1891–1905	Colo. App.
	1912–1915	Colo. App.
	1970–1980	Colo. App.
Colorado Lawyer	1972–date	Colo. Law.
Brief Times Reporter	1977–1996	Brief Times Rptr.
Colorado Journal	1996–2002	Colo. J.
Law Week Colorado	2002–date	L. Week Colo.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Colo. Rev. Stat.
Colorado Revised Statutes (LexisNexis): Colo. Rev. Stat. § <title-article-section> (<year>)		Colo. Rev. Stat. § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Colorado Revised Statutes Annotated: Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § <title-article-section> (West <year>)		Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Colo. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Colorado (LexisNexis)		<year> Colo. Sess. Laws <page no.>
Colorado Legislative Service (West)		<year> Colo. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilations: Cite to Colo. Code Regs.
Colorado Code of Regulations		Colo. Code Regs. § x-x (<year>)
Code of Colorado Regulations (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> Colo. Code Regs. § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Colorado Register		<iss. no.> Colo. Reg. <page no.> (<month year>)
Local Notes: Colorado has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after January 3, 2012. For additional information, consult Rules of the Supreme Court of Colorado, Chief Justice Directive 12-01. Examples: McCoy v. People, 2019 CO 44, ¶ 20, 442 P.3d 379, 385. People v. McClintic, 202 COA 120M, 484 P.3d 724.
Connecticut
Supreme Court (Conn.), previously Supreme Court of Errors (Conn.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Connecticut Reports	1814–date	Conn.
Day	1802–1813	Day
Root	1789–1798	Root
Kirby	1785–1789	Kirby
Appellate Court (Conn. App. Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1983–date	A.2d, A.3d
Connecticut Appellate Reports	1983–date	Conn. App.
Superior Court (Conn. Super. Ct.) and Court of Common Pleas (Conn. C.P.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d, if found there; else, cite to Conn. Supp., if found there, or else to one of the other reporters listed below.
Atlantic Reporter	1954–date	A.2d, A.3d
Connecticut Supplement	1935–date	Conn. Supp.
Connecticut Law Reporter	1990–date	Conn. L. Rptr.
Connecticut Superior Court Reports	1986–1994	Conn. Super. Ct.
Circuit Court (Conn. Cir. Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1961–1974	A.2d, A.3d
Connecticut Circuit Court Reports	1961–1974	Conn. Cir. Ct.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Conn. Gen. Stat.
General Statutes of Connecticut		Conn. Gen. Stat. § x-x (<year>)
Connecticut General Statutes Annotated (West)		Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Conn. Acts, Conn. Pub. Acts, or Conn. Spec. Acts.
Connecticut Public & Special Acts	1972–date	<year> Conn. Acts <page no.> ([Reg. or Spec.] Sess.)
Connecticut Public Acts	1650–1971	<year> Conn. Pub. Acts <page no.>
Connecticut Special Acts (Resolves & Private Laws, Private & Special Laws, Special Laws, Resolves & Private Acts, Resolutions & Private Acts, Private Acts & Resolutions, and Special Acts & Resolutions)	1789–1971	<year> Conn. Spec. Acts <page no.>
Connecticut Legislative Service (West)		<year> Conn. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies		Conn. Agencies Regs. § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative registers: Cite to Conn. L.J.
Connecticut Law Journal		<vol. no.> Conn. L.J. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Connecticut Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Conn. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: See generally Office of the Reporter of Judicial Decisions, The Manual of Style for the Connecticut Courts (3d ed. 2013).
Delaware
Supreme Court (Del.), previously Court of Errors and Appeals (Del.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1886–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Delaware Reports
31 Del. to 59 Del.	1919–1966	Del.
Boyce	1909–1920	e.g., 24 Del. (1 Boyce)
Pennewill	1897–1909	e.g., 17 Del. (1 Penne.)
Marvel	1893–1897	e.g., 15 Del. (1 Marv.)
Houston	1855–1893	e.g., 6 Del. (1 Houst.)
Harrington	1832–1855	e.g., 1 Del. (1 Harr.)
Delaware Cases	1792–1830	Del. Cas.
Court of Chancery (Del. Ch.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1886–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Delaware Chancery Reports	1814–1968	Del. Ch.
Delaware Cases	1792–1830	Del. Cas.
Superior Court (Del. Super. Ct.), previously Superior Court and Orphans’ Court (Del. Super. Ct. & Orphans’ Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d, if found there; else, cite to one of the official reporters listed under Supreme Court (Del.).
Atlantic Reporter	1951–date	A.2d, A.3d
Family Court (Del. Fam. Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1977–date	A.2d, A.3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Del. Code Ann.
Delaware Code Annotated (LexisNexis)		Del. Code Ann. tit. x, § x (<year>)
West’s Delaware Code Annotated		Del. Code Ann. tit. x, § x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Del. Laws.
Laws of Delaware		<vol. no.> Del. Laws <page no.> (<year>)
Delaware Code Annotated <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Del. Code. Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Delaware Legislative Service		<year> Del. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilations: Cite to Del. Admin. Code.
Delaware Administrative Code		x-x-x Del. Admin. Code § x (<year>)
Code of Delaware Regulations (LexisNexis)		x-x-x Del. Code Regs. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative registers: Cite to Del. Reg. Regs.
Delaware Register of Regulations		<vol. no.> Del. Reg. Regs. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Delaware Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Del Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: The Delaware Code is cited as <vol.> Del. C. <section>. See generally Superior Court of Delaware, Guide to the Delaware Rules of Legal Citation (2004), https://courts.delaware.gov/superior/pdf/citation_guide.pdf Blake Rohrbacher, Delaware Uniform Citations (2008), https://courts.delaware.gov/superior/pdf/de_uniform_citation_2008.pdf (adopted by the Litigation Section of the Delaware State Bar Association).
District of Columbia
Court of Appeals (D.C.), previously Municipal Court of Appeals (D.C.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1943–date	A.2d, A.3d
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Cir.), previously Court of Appeals of/for the District of Columbia (D.C. Cir.), previously Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (D.C.): Cite to F., F.2d, or F.3d.
Federal Reporter	1919–date	F., F.2d, F.3d
United States Court of Appeals Reports	1941–date	U.S. App. D.C.
Appeal Cases, District of Columbia	1893–1941	App. D.C.
District of Columbia Reports
Tucker and Clephane	1892–1893	21 D.C. (Tuck. & Cl.)
Mackey	1880–1892	<12–20> D.C. (Mackey <1–9>)
MacArthur and Mackey	1879–1880	11 D.C. (MacArth. & M.)
MacArthur	1873–1879	<8–10> D.C. (MacArth. <1–3>)
District of Columbia Reports (reported by Mackey)	1863–1872	<6–7> D.C.
Hayward & Hazleton, Circuit Court (Circuit Court Reports, vols. 6–7)	1840–1863	<1–2> Hay. & Haz.
Cranch, Circuit Court	1801–1840	<1–5> D.C. (Cranch <1–5>)
Superior Court (D.C. Super. Ct.), previously Municipal Court (D.C. Mun. Ct.): Cite to Daily Wash. L. Rptr.
Daily Washington Law Reporter	1971–date	Daily Wash. L. Rptr.
Statutory compilations: Cite to D.C. Code.
District of Columbia Official Code (LexisNexis)		D.C. Code § x-x (<year>)
West's District of Columbia Code Annotated (West)		D.C. Code Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Stat., D.C. Reg., or D.C. Code Adv. Leg. Serv.
United States Statutes at Large		<vol. no.> Stat. <page no.> (<year>)
District of Columbia Register		<vol. no.> D.C. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
District of Columbia Official Code Lexis Advance Legislative Service		<year>-<pamph. no.> D.C. Code Adv. Leg. Serv. <page no.>
District of Columbia Session Law Service West		<year> D.C. Sess. L. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Municipal regulations: Cite to D.C. Mun. Regs.
Code of D.C. Municipal Regulations		D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Code of District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (LexisNexis)		D.C. Code Mun. Regs. tit. x § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
District of Columbia Register		<vol. no.> D.C. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: See generally District of Columbia Court of Appeals Style Guide (2019), https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/matters-docs/DCCACitationGuide.pdf
Florida
Supreme Court (Fla.): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1886–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Florida Reports	1846–1948	Fla.
Florida Law Weekly	1978–date	Fla. L. Weekly
District Court of Appeal (Fla. Dist. Ct. App.): Cite to So. 2d or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1957–date	So. 2d, So. 3d
Florida Law Weekly	1978–date	Fla. L. Weekly
Circuit Court (Fla. Cir. Ct.), County Court (e.g., Fla. Orange Cnty. Ct.), Public Service Commission (Fla. P.S.C.), and other lower courts of record: Cite to Fla. Supp. or Fla. Supp. 2d.
Florida Supplement	1950–1991	Fla. Supp., Fla. Supp. 2d
Florida Law Weekly Supplement	1992–date	Fla. L. Weekly Supp.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Fla. Stat.
Florida Statutes		Fla. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
West’s Florida Statutes Annotated		Fla. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
LexisNexis Florida Statutes Annotated		Fla. Stat. Ann. § x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Fla. Laws.
Laws of Florida		<year> Fla. Laws <page no.>
West’s Florida Session Law Service		<year> Fla. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Florida Administrative Code Annotated (LexisNexis)		Fla. Admin. Code Ann. r. x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register: Cite to Fla. Admin. Reg.
Florida Administrative Register	2012–date	<vol. no.> Fla. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Florida Administrative Weekly (LexisNexis)	1996–2012	<vol. no.> Fla. Admin. Weekly <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Florida statutes are customarily cited with section first: § xx.xxx, Fla. Stat. (2020). At the intermediate appellate level, the Florida courts are divided into five District Courts of Appeal. Citations indicate the applicable District Court of Appeal, abbreviated as DCA. See Fla. R. App. P. 8.800; Indigo Book Rule R12.1.2. Example: Saldana v. State, 295 So. 3d 1235 (Fla. 1st DCA 2020). See generally Florida Style Manual (Florida State Univ. Law Rev., eds., 8th ed. 2019), https://www.floridastylemanual.com/
Georgia
Supreme Court (Ga.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1887–date	S.E., S.E.2d
Georgia Reports	1846–date	Ga.
Court of Appeals (Ga. Ct. App.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1907–date	S.E., S.E.2d
Georgia Appeals Reports	1907–date	Ga. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ga. Code Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Official Code of Georgia Annotated (LexisNexis)		Ga. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Code of Georgia Annotated		Ga. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ga. Laws.
Georgia Laws		<year> Ga. Laws <page no.>
Georgia <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ga. Code Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Georgia Legislative Service		<year> Ga. Code Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Official Compilation Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia		Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. x-x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Georgia Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Ga. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: The Official Code of Georgia Annotated is cited as O.C.G.A. See O.C.G.A. § 1-1-8(e).
Hawaii
Supreme Court (Haw.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1959–date	P.2d, P.3d
West’s Hawaii Reports (begins with vol. 76)	1994–date	Haw.
Hawaii Reports (ends with vol. 75)	1847–1994	Haw.
Intermediate Court of Appeals (Haw. Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1980–date	P.2d, P.3d
West’s Hawaii Reports	1994–date	Haw.
Hawaii Appellate Reports	1980–1994	Haw. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Haw. Rev. Stat.
Hawaii Revised Statutes		Haw. Rev. Stat. § x-x (<year>)
Michie’s Hawaii Revised Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Haw. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
West’s Hawai'i Revised Statutes Annotated		Haw. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Haw. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Hawaii		<year> Haw. Sess. Laws <page no.>
Michie’s Hawaii Revised Statutes Annotated Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Haw. Rev. Stat. Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Hawai'i Legislative Service		<year> Haw. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Hawaii Rules (LexisNexis)		Haw. Code R. § x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Hawaii Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Haw. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: See generally A Handbook of Citation Forms for the Law Clerks at the Appellate Courts of the State of Hawai’i (2008), https://www.law.hawaii.edu/sites/www.law.hawaii.edu/files/content/library/HandbookofCitationForm.pdf (keyed to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia L. Rev. et al., eds., 18th ed. 2005)).
Idaho
Supreme Court (Idaho): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Idaho Reports	1866–date	Idaho
Court of Appeals (Idaho Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1982–date	P.2d, P.3d
Idaho Reports	1982–date	Idaho
Statutory compilations: Cite to Idaho Code (published by LexisNexis).
Idaho Code (LexisNexis)		Idaho Code § x-x (<year>)
West’s Idaho Code Annotated		Idaho Code Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Idaho Sess. Laws.
Idaho Session Laws		<year> Idaho Sess. Laws <page no.>
Idaho Code Annotated Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Idaho Code Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Idaho Legislative Service		<year> Idaho Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation: http://adminrules.gov/rules/current
Idaho Administrative Code		Idaho Admin. Code r. x.x.x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Idaho Administrative Bulletin		<vol. no.> Idaho Admin. Bull. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The Idaho Code is commonly cited in the state as I.C. § xx-xxxx.
Illinois
Supreme Court (Ill.): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1884–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Illinois Official Reports	2011–date	<year> IL <docket no.>
Illinois Reports
11 Ill. to date	1849–2011	Ill., Ill. 2d
Gilman	1844–1849	e.g., 6 Ill. (1 Gilm.)
Scammon	1832–1843	e.g., 2 Ill. (1 Scam.)
Breese	1819–1831	1 Ill. (Breese)
West's Illinois Decisions	1976–date	Ill. Dec.
Appellate Court (Ill. App. Ct.): Cite to N.E.2d, N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1936–date	N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Illinois Official Reports	2011–date	<year> IL App. (<court no.>)
Illinois Appellate Court Reports	1877–2011	Ill. App., Ill. App. 2d, Ill. App. 3d
West’s Illinois Decisions	1976–date	Ill. Dec.
Illinois Circuit Court (Ill. Cir. Ct.), previously Court of Claims (Ill. Ct. Cl.): Cite to Ill. Ct. Cl.
Illinois Court of Claims Reports	1889–date	Ill. Ct. Cl.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ill. Comp. Stat.
Illinois Compiled Statutes		<ch. no.> Ill. Comp. Stat. <act no.> / <sec. no.> (<year>)
West’s Smith-Hurd Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated		<ch. no.> Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. <act no.> / <sec. no.> (West <year>)
Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		<ch. no.> Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. <act no.> / <sec. no.> (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ill. Laws.
Laws of Illinois		<year> Ill. Laws <page no.>
Illinois Legislative Service (West)		<year> Ill. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilations: Cite to Ill. Admin. Code.
Illinois Administrative Code		Ill. Admin. Code tit. x, § x (<year>)
Code of Illinois Rules (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> Ill. Code R. <rule no.> (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Illinois Register		<vol. no.> Ill. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: In Illinois practice, the Illinois Compiled Statutes are cited using “ILCS.” Example: 725 ILCS 5/100-1 (West 2020) Illinois has adopted a public domain citation format for cases effective July 1, 2011. See Illinois Supreme Court Rule 6. Thus, when citing an Illinois intermediate appellate court decision and including a parallel citation to the North Eastern Reporter, it is advisable to include the intermediate appellate division, noting also that the public domain format renders the court and year unambiguously clear. See generally Style Manual for the Supreme Court and Appellate Courts of Illinois (5th ed. 2017), https://courts.illinois.gov/StyleManual/SupCrt_StyleManual.pdf Examples: People v. Pinkett, 2023 IL 127223 Dustman v. Advocate Aurora Health, Inc., 2021 IL App (4th) 210157, 455 Ill. Dec. 630, 192 N.E.3d 47 Burns v. Municipal Officers Electoral Bd. of Elk Grove Village, 2020 IL 125714, 443 Ill. Dec. 287, 161 N.E.3d 939
Indiana
Supreme Court (Ind.): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1885–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Indiana Reports	1848–1981	Ind.
Blackford	1817–1847	Blackf.
Court of Appeals (Ind. Ct. App.), previously Appellate Court (Ind. App.): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1891–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Indiana Court of Appeals Reports (prior to 1972, Indiana Appellate Court Reports)	1890–1979	Ind. App.
Tax Court (Ind. T.C.): Cite to N.E.2d or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1986–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Ind. Code.
Indiana Code		Ind. Code § x-x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Annotated Indiana Code		Ind. Code Ann. § x-x-x-x (West <year>)
Burns Indiana Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Ind. Code Ann. § x-x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ind. Acts.
Acts, Indiana		<year> Ind. Acts <page no.>
West’s Indiana Legislative Service		<year> Ind. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Burns Indiana Statutes Annotated Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ind. Stat. Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilations: Cite to Ind. Admin. Code.
Indiana Administrative Code		<tit. no.> Ind. Admin. Code x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Indiana Administrative Code		<tit. no.> Ind. Admin. Code Code x-x-x (West <year>)
Administrative register
Indiana Register		<vol. no.> Ind. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The Indiana Code is referred to in short citations as I.C. or IC. The Indiana Administrative Code is referred to in short citations as I.A.C. or IAC. See Ind. R. App. P. 22 (2021), https://www.in.gov/courts/rules/appellate/index.html.
Iowa
Supreme Court (Iowa): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1879–date	N.W., N.W.2d
Iowa Reports (Cite to edition published by Clarke for vols. 1–8.)	1855–1968	Iowa
Greene	1847–1854	Greene
Morris	1839–1846	Morris
Bradford	1838–1841	Bradf.
Court of Appeals (Iowa Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1977–date	N.W.2d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Iowa Code.
Code of Iowa		Iowa Code § x.x (<year>)
West’s Iowa Code Annotated		Iowa Code Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Iowa Acts.
Acts of the State of Iowa		<year> Iowa Acts <page no.>
Iowa Legislative Service (West)		<year> Iowa Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Iowa Administrative Code		Iowa Admin. Code r. x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Iowa Administrative Bulletin		<vol. no.> Iowa Admin. Bull. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Kansas
Supreme Court (Kan.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Kansas Reports	1862–date	Kan.
McCahon	1858–1868	McCahon
Court of Appeals (Kan. Ct. App.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1895–1901	P.
	1977–date	P.2d, P.3d
Kansas Court of Appeals Reports	1895–1901	Kan. App.
	1977–date	Kan. App. 2d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Kan. Stat. Ann.
Kansas Statutes Annotated		Kan. Stat. Ann. § x-x (<year>)
West’s Kansas Statutes Annotated		Kan. Stat. Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Kan. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Kansas		<year> Kan. Sess. Laws <page no.>
West’s Kansas Legislative Service		<year> Kan. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Kansas Administrative Regulations (updated by supplements)		Kan. Admin. Regs. § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Kansas Register		<vol. no.> Kan. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Kansas Statutes Annotated are cited as K.S.A. xx-xxx. See Kansas Appellate Practice Handbook, Citation Guide app’x C (2018), https://www.kansasjudicialcouncil.org/Documents/Appellate%20Practice%20Handbook/Appendix%20C-Revised%202018.pdf
Kentucky
Supreme Court (Ky.): before 1976 the Court of Appeals (Ky.) was the highest state court. Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1886–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Kentucky Reports
78 Ky. to 314 Ky.	1879–1951	Ky.
Bush	1866–1879	e.g., 66 Ky. (3 Bush)
Duvall	1863–1866	e.g., 62 Ky. (1 Duv.)
Metcalf	1858–1863	e.g., 58 Ky. (1 Met.)
Monroe, Ben	1840–1857	e.g., 53 Ky. (14 B. Mon.)
Dana	1833–1840	e.g., 35 Ky. (5 Dana)
Marshall, J.J.	1829–1832	e.g., 27 Ky. (4 J.J. Marsh.)
Monroe, T.B.	1824–1828	e.g., 19 Ky. (3 T.B. Mon.)
Littell	1822–1824	e.g., 13 Ky. (3 Litt.)
Littell’s Selected Cases	1795–1821	e.g., 16 Ky. (1 Litt. Sel. Cas.)
Marshall, A.K.	1817–1821	e.g., 10 Ky. (3 A.K. Marsh.)
Bibb	1808–1817	e.g., 6 Ky. (3 Bibb)
Hardin	1805–1808	3 Ky. (Hard.)
Sneed	1801–1805	2 Ky. (Sneed)
Hughes	1785–1801	1 Ky. (Hughes)
Kentucky Opinions	1864–1886	Ky. Op.
Kentucky Law Reporter	1880–1908	Ky. L. Rptr.
Kentucky Appellate Reporter	1994–2000	Ky. App.
Kentucky Attorneys Memo	2001–2007	Ky. Att’y Memo
Kentucky Law Summary	1966–date	Ky. L. Summ.
Court of Appeals (Ky. Ct. App.) (for decisions before 1976, see Kentucky Supreme Court): Cite to S.W.2d or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1976–date	S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Kentucky Appellate Reporter	1994–2000	Ky. App.
Kentucky Attorneys Memo	2001–2007	Ky. Att’y Memo
Kentucky Law Summary	1966–date	Ky. L. Summ.
Statutory compilations: Cite to one of the following codes.
Baldwin’s Kentucky Revised Statutes Annotated (West)		Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Michie’s Kentucky Revised Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ky. Acts.
Acts of Kentucky		<year> Ky. Acts <page no.>
Kentucky Revised Statutes and Rules Service (West)		<year> Ky. Rev. Stat. & R. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Michie’s Kentucky Revised Statutes Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Ky. Rev. Stat. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
Kentucky Administrative Regulations Service		<tit. no.> Ky. Admin. Regs. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Administrative Register of Kentucky		<vol. no.> Ky. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month year>)
Local Notes: The Kentucky Revised Statutes Annotated are cited locally as KRS xx.xxxx. See Ky. R. Civ. P. 76.12(4)(g).
Louisiana
Supreme Court (La.), before 1813 the Superior Court of Louisiana (La.) and the Superior Court of the Territory of Orleans (Orleans): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1886–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Louisiana Reports	1901–1972	La.
Louisiana Annual Reports	1846–1900	La. Ann.
Robinson	1841–1846	Rob.
Louisiana Reports	1830–1841	La.
Martin (Louisiana Term Reports)	1809–1830	Mart. (o.s.), Mart. (n.s.)
Court of Appeal (La. Ct. App.): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1928–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Louisiana Court of Appeals Reports	1924–1932	La. App.
Peltier’s Decisions, Parish at Orleans	1917–1924	Pelt.
Teissier, Orleans Court of Appeals	1903–1917	Teiss.
Gunby’s Reports	1885	Gunby
McGloin	1881–1884	McGl.
Statutory compilations: Cite to one of the following codes.
West’s Louisiana Statutes Annotated		La. Stat. Ann. § x:x (<year>)
West’s Louisiana Children’s Code Annotated		La. Child. Code Ann. art. x (<year>)
West’s Louisiana Civil Code Annotated		La. Civ. Code Ann. art. x (<year>)
West’s Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Annotated		La. Code Civ. Proc. Ann. art. x (<year>)
West’s Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Annotated		La. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. x (<year>)
West’s Louisiana Code of Evidence Annotated		La. Code Evid. Ann. art. x (<year>)
West's Louisiana Constitution Annotated		La. Const. Ann. art. x (<year>)
Session laws: Cite to La. Acts.
State of Louisiana: Acts of the Legislature <year> La. Acts <page no.>
West’s Louisiana Session Law Service		<year> La. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Louisiana Administrative Code		La. Admin. Code tit. x, § x (<year>)
Administrative register
Louisiana Register		<vol. no.> La. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Local practice in Louisiana uses large-and-small caps for statutes: La. Civ. Code art. 2315 (2019). For administrative rules, likewise local practice uses large-and-small caps: La. Admin. Code tit. 51, pt. 1, §105 (2019). See generally Louisiana Citation and Style Manual, 70 La. L. Rev. 1239 (2019), https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol79/iss4/13/ Louisiana has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1993. See Rules of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, part G, section 8. The format is: Examples: Smith v. Jones, 93-2345 (La. 7/15/94); 650 So.2d 500. Smith v. Jones, 93-2345 (La. App. 1 Cir. 7/15/94); 660 So.2d 400. Smith v. Jones, 94-2345, p. 7 (La. 7/15/94); 650 So.2d 500, 504.
Maine
Supreme Judicial Court (Me.): Cite to A., A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Maine Reports	1820–1965	Me.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Me. Stat.
West’s Maine Statutes		Me. Stat. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Maine Revised Statutes Annotated (West)		Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Session laws: Cite to Me. Laws.
Laws of the State of Maine		<year> Me. Laws <page no.>
Maine Legislative Service (West)		<year> Me. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Maine Rules (LexisNexis)		x-x-x Me. Code R. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Maine Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Me. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: Maine has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1996. See Administrative Order of the Supreme Judicial Court—New Citation Form (Aug. 20, 1996); Michael D. Selzinger, Charles K. Leadbetter, and Sara T.S. Wolfe, Uniform Maine Citations (2020-21 ed.), https://digitalcommons.mainelaw.maine.edu/uniform-maine-citations/16/ Examples: Estate of Hoch v. Stifel, 2011 ME 24, 16 A.3d 137. Estate of Hoch v. Stifel, 2011 ME 24, ¶ 11, 16 A.3d 137. Saucier v. State Tax Assessor, 1998 ME 61, 708 A.2d 28.
Maryland
Supreme Court of Maryland (Md.): Cite to A., A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Maryland Reports	1851–date	Md.
Gill	1843–1851	Gill
Gill and Johnson	1829–1842	G. & J.
Harris and Gill	1826–1829	H. & G.
Harris and Johnson	1800–1826	H. & J.
Harris and McHenry	1770–1774 1780–1799	H. & McH.
Appellate Court of Maryland (Md. App. Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d. Note: As of December 14, 2022, the Appellate Court of Maryland became the new court name for Maryland’s intermediate appellate court, previously named the Maryland Court of Special Appeals (Md. Ct. Spec. App.). See below for more local information.
Atlantic Reporter	1967–date	A.2d, A.3d
Maryland Appellate Reports	1967–date	Md. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite by subject to either Michie’s Md. Code Ann. or West’s Md. Code Ann.
Michie’s Annotated Code of Maryland (LexisNexis)		Md. Code Ann., <subject> § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
West’s Annotated Code of Maryland		Md. Code Ann., <subject> § x-x (West <year>)
Agriculture		Agric.
Business Occupations and Professions		Bus. Occ. & Prof.
Business Regulation		Bus. Reg.
Commercial Law		Com. Law
Constitutions		Const.
Corporations and Associations		Corps. & Ass’ns
Correctional Services		Corr. Servs.
Courts and Judicial Proceedings		Cts. & Jud. Proc.
Criminal Law		Crim. Law
Criminal Procedure		Crim. Proc.
Economic Development		Econ. Dev.
Education		Educ.
Election Law		Elec. Law
Environment		Envir.
Estates and Trusts		Est. & Trusts
Family Law		Fam. Law
Financial Institutions		Fin. Inst.
Health–General		Health–Gen.
Health Occupations		Health Occ.
Housing and Community Development		Hous. & Cmty. Dev.
Human Services		Hum. Servs.
Insurance		Ins.
Labor and Employment		Lab. & Empl.
Land Use		Land Use
Local Government		Local Gov't
Natural Resources		Nat. Res.
Public Safety		Pub. Safety
Public Utility		Pub. Util.
Real Property		Real Prop.
State Finance and Procurement		State Fin. & Proc.
State Government		State Gov’t
State Personnel and Pensions		State Pers. & Pens.
Tax–General		Tax–Gen.
Tax–Property		Tax–Prop.
Transportation		Transp.
Session laws: Cite to Md. Laws.
Laws of Maryland		<year> Md. Laws <page no.>
Michie’s Annotated Code of Maryland Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Md. Code Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Maryland Legislative Service		<year> Md. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Maryland Regulations		Md. Code Regs. <reg. no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Maryland Register		<vol. no.> Md. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: In 2022, the Maryland courts went through a constitutional re-naming process effective December 14, 2022. The state high court had been named the Maryland Court of Appeals; it has now become the Maryland Supreme Court. The intermediate appellate court had been named the Maryland Court of Special Appeals; it has now become the Appellate Court of Maryland. In Maryland, citations to all intermediate appellate cases, including those before the renaming, now use the current court names and citation conventions. In local practice, reported opinions are cited to the Maryland Appeals Reports, and thus the Appellate Court of Maryland is redundant information that need not be abbreviated: Scarbrough v. Transplant Res. Ctr., 242 Md. App. 453 (2019) For unreported opinions, the Appellate Court of Maryland has been abbreviated variously as follows, so as to clearly indicate the deciding court: Rowan v. State, No. 233 Sept. Term, 2018, 2020 WL 3265119 (Md. App. June 17, 2020) Simard v. Gallagher, No. 132, Sept. Term, 2022, 2023 WL 2595254 (App. Ct. Md. March 22, 2023) In local practice, the new abbreviations are used for all intermediate appellate cases—both before and after the name change. If it is important to the proposition being asserted, the Appellate Court of Maryland’s previous name and abbreviation (Md. Ct. Spec. App.) may be indicated.
Massachusetts
Supreme Judicial Court (Mass.): Cite to N.E., or N.E.2d, N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1885–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Massachusetts Reports
97 Mass. to date	1867–date	Mass.
Allen	1861–1867	e.g., 83 Mass. (1 Allen)
Gray	1854–1860	e.g., 67 Mass. (1 Gray)
Cushing	1848–1853	e.g., 55 Mass. (1 Cush.)
Metcalf	1840–1847	e.g., 42 Mass. (1 Met.)
Pickering	1822–1839	e.g., 18 Mass. (1 Pick.)
Tyng	1805–1822	e.g., 2 Mass. (1 Tyng)
Williams	1804–1805	1 Mass. (1 Will.)
Appeals Court (Mass. App. Ct.): Cite to N.E.2d, N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1972–date	N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Massachusetts Appeals Court Reports	1972–date	Mass. App. Ct.
Lower Courts (Mass. Dist. Ct., Bos. Mun. Ct.): Cite to Mass. App. Div., if found there; else cite to Mass. Supp. or Mass. App. Dec.
Reports of Massachusetts	1936–1950	Mass. App. Div.
Appellate Division	1980–date
Massachusetts Reports Supplement	1980–1983	Mass. Supp.
Massachusetts Appellate Decisions	1941–1977	Mass. App. Dec.
Appellate Division Advance Sheets	1975–1979	<year> Mass. App. Div. Adv. Sh. <page no.>
Statutory compilations: Cite to Mass. Gen. Laws.
General Laws of Massachusetts (Mass. Bar Ass’n/West): Mass. Gen. Laws ch.<chapter no.>, § <section no.> (<year> )		Mass. Gen. Laws ch. x, § x (<year>)
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated (West): Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch.<chapter no.>, § <section no.> (West <year> )		Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. x, § x (West <year>)
Annotated Laws of Massachusetts (LexisNexis): Mass. Ann. Gen. Laws ch. <chapter no.>, § <section no.> (LexisNexis <year> )		Mass. Ann. Laws ch. x, § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Mass. Acts.
Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts		<year> Mass. Acts <page no.>
Massachusetts Legislative Service (West)		<year> Mass. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Massachusetts Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Mass. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilations: Cite to official Mass. Code Regs.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations		<tit. no.> Mass. Code Regs. <sec. no.> (<year>)
Code of Massachusetts Regulations (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.> Mass. Code Regs. <sec. no.> (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Massachusetts Register		<iss. no.> Mass. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The General Laws of Massachusetts are cited in Massachusetts courts as G.L. c. x, § x. See generally SJC Style Manual (2020), https://www.mass.gov/doc/sjc-style-manual; Trial Court Law Libraries, Massachusetts Legal Writing and Citations, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-legal-writing-and-citations (last updated August 3, 2020).
Michigan
Supreme Court (Mich.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1879–date	N.W., N.W.2d
Michigan Reports	1847–date	Mich.
Douglass	1843–1847	Doug.
Blume, Unreported Opinions	1836–1843	Blume Unrep. Op.
Blume, Supreme Court Transactions	1836–1843	Blume Sup. Ct. Trans.
Court of Appeals (Mich. Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1965–date	N.W.2d
Michigan Appeals Reports	1965–date	Mich. App.
Court of Claims (Mich. Ct. Cl.): Cite to Mich. Ct. Cl.
Michigan Court of Claims Reports	1939–1942	Mich. Ct. Cl.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Mich. Comp. Laws.
Michigan Compiled Laws (1979)		Mich. Comp. Laws § x.x (<year>)
Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated (West)		Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Michigan Compiled Laws Service (LexisNexis)		Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Mich. Pub. Acts.
Public and Local Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan		<year> Mich. Pub. Acts <page no.>
Michigan Legislative Service (West)		<year> Mich. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Michigan Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Mich. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
Michigan Administrative Code		Mich. Admin. Code r. x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Michigan Register		<iss. no.> Mich. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The Michigan Compiled Laws are customarily cited locally as MCL xxxx.xx. See Michigan Supreme Court Office of the Reporter of Decisions, Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual (rev. Dec. 2017), https://courts.michigan.gov/Courts/MichiganSupremeCourt/Documents/MiAppOpManual.pdf
Minnesota
Supreme Court (Minn.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1879–date	N.W., N.W.2d
Minnesota Reports	1851–1977	Minn.
Court of Appeals (Minn. Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1983–date	N.W.2d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Minn. Stat.
Minnesota Statutes		Minn. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
Minnesota Statutes Annotated (West)		Minn. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Minn. Laws.
Laws of Minnesota		<year> Minn. Laws <page no.>
Minnesota Session Law Service (West)		<year> Minn. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Minnesota Rules		Minn. R. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Minnesota State Register		<vol. no.> Minn. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Mississippi
Supreme Court (Miss.): Cite to So., So. 2d, or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1886–date	So., So. 2d, So. 3d
Mississippi Reports
23 Miss. to 254 Miss.	1851–1966	Miss.
Smedes and Marshall	1843–1850	e.g., 9 Miss. (1 S. & M.)
Howard	1834–1843	e.g., 2 Miss. (1 Howard)
Walker	1818–1832	1 Miss. (1 Walker)
Mississippi Decisions	1820–1885	Miss. Dec.
Court of Appeals (Miss. Ct. App.): Cite to So. 2d or So. 3d.
Southern Reporter	1995–date	So. 2d, So. 3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Miss. Code Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated (LexisNexis)		Miss. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Annotated Mississippi Code		Miss. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Miss. Laws.
General Laws of Mississippi		<year> Miss. Laws <page no.>
Mississippi General Laws Advance Sheets (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Miss. Laws Adv. Sh. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West's Mississippi Legislative Service		<year> Miss. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Mississippi Rules (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.>-<ch. no.> Miss. Code R. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Mississippi Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Miss. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: Mississippi has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after July 1, 1997. See Miss. R. App. P. 28(f), https://courts.ms.gov/research/rules/msrulesofcourt/Rules%20of%20Appellate%20Procedure%20Current.pdf. Examples: Okoloise v. Yost, 2017-CA-01472-SCT (Miss. 2019). Okoloise v. Yost, 2017-CA-01472-SCT (¶ 30) (Miss. 2019).
Missouri
Supreme Court (Mo.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1886–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Missouri Reports	1821–1956	Mo.
Court of Appeals (Mo. Ct. App.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1902–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Missouri Appeals Reports	1876–1954	Mo. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Mo. Rev. Stat.
Missouri Revised Statutes		Mo. Rev. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
Vernon’s Annotated Missouri Statutes (West)		Mo. Ann. Stat. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Mo. Laws.
Session Laws of Missouri		<year> Mo. Laws <page no.>
Missouri Legislative Service (West)		<year> Mo. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Missouri Code of State Regulations Annotated		Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. x, § x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Missouri Register		<vol. no.> Mo. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Missouri statutes are cited locally around the following basic template: Section xxx.xxx, RSMo 2016 or § xxx.xxx, RSMo 2016. Missouri Supreme Court cases are generally decided en banc and are cited (Mo. banc <year>). The Missouri Court of Appeals is cited locally as “Mo. App.” (omitting the “Ct.” as shown in this Table). Missouri Court of Appeals cases may indicate the district of decision where relevant: (Mo. App. S.D.). See Thomas Patrick Deaton, Jr., Show Me Citations: A Manual for Legal Citations in Missouri Courts (9th ed. 2020) (practitioner-maintained manual), https://www.thomaspatrickdeaton.com/ShowMeCitations2020-0706.pdf
Montana
Supreme Court (Mont.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Montana Reports	1868–date	Mont.
State Reporter	1945–date	State Rptr.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Mont. Code Ann.
Montana Code Annotated		Mont. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West's Montana Code Annotated		Mont. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws
Laws of Montana		<year> Mont. Laws <page no.>
Administrative compilation
Administrative Rules of Montana		Mont. Admin. R. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Montana Administrative Register		<iss. no.> Mont. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Montana has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1997. See Order In re: Opinion Forms and Citation Standards of the Supreme Court of Montana and the Adoption of Public Domain and Neutral-Format Citation (Dec. 16, 1997); Order In the Matter of Aneding Citation Standards, No. AF-07-0064 (Jan. 22, 2009); Order in the Matter of Amending Citations Standards for the Montana Supreme Court, No. AF 06-0632 (Feb. 24, 2010), https://casetext.com/case/in-re-matter-of-opinion-forms. Example: Doe v. Roe, 1998 MT 12, ¶¶ 44-45, 286 Mont. 175, 989 P.2d 1312.
Nebraska
Supreme Court (Neb.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1879–date	N.W., N.W.2d
Nebraska Reports	1860–date	Neb.
Court of Appeals (Neb. Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1992–date	N.W.2d
Nebraska Appellate Reports	1992–date	Neb. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Neb. Rev. Stat.
Revised Statutes of Nebraska		Neb. Rev. Stat. § x-x (<year>)
Revised Statutes of Nebraska Annotated (LexisNexis)		Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
West's Revised Statutes of Nebraska Annotated		Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Neb. Laws.
Laws of Nebraska		<year> Neb. Laws <page no.>
West's Nebraska Legislative Service		<year> Neb. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Nebraska Administrative Code		<tit. no.> Neb. Admin. Code § x-x (<year>)
Nevada
Supreme Court (Nev.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Nevada Reports	1865–date	Nev.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Nev. Rev. Stat.
Nevada Revised Statutes		Nev. Rev. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
Michie's Nevada Revised Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
West’s Nevada Revised Statutes Annotated		Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Nev. Stat.
Statutes of Nevada		<year> Nev. Stat. <page no.>
West’s Nevada Legislative Service		<year> Nev. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Nevada Administrative Code		Nev. Admin. Code § x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Nevada Register of Administrative Regulations		<vol. no.> Nev. Reg. Admin. Regs. <reg. no.> (<month day, year>)
New Hampshire
Supreme Court (N.H.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
New Hampshire Reports	1816–date	N.H.
Statutory compilations: Cite to N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. (published by West).
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (West)		N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x:x (<year>)
Lexis New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated		N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x:x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to N.H. Laws or N.H. Legis. Serv.
Laws of the State of New Hampshire (West)		<year> N.H. Laws <page no.>
New Hampshire Legislative Service (West)		<year> N.H. Legis. Serv. <page no.>
Lexis New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilations: Cite to N.H. Code Admin. R. Ann.
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules Annotated (LexisNexis)		N.H. Code Admin. R. Ann. <dep't name as abbreviated in Rules> <rule no.> (<year>)
Code of New Hampshire Rules (LexisNexis)		N.H. Code R. <dep't name as abbreviated in Rules> <rule no.> (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative registers: Cite to N.H. Rulemaking Reg.
New Hampshire Rulemaking Register		<vol. no.> N.H. Rulemaking Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
New Hampshire Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> N.H. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
New Jersey
Supreme Court (N.J.), previously Court of Errors and Appeals (N.J.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
New Jersey Reports	1948–date	N.J.
New Jersey Law Reports	1790–1948	N.J.L.
New Jersey Equity Reports	1845–1948	N.J. Eq.
New Jersey Miscellaneous Reports	1923–1948	N.J. Misc.
Superior Court (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div., N.J. Super. Ct. Ch. Div., N.J. Super. Ct. Law Div.), previously Court of Chancery (N.J. Ch.), Supreme Court (N.J. Sup. Ct.), and Prerogative Court (N.J. Prerog. Ct.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
New Jersey Superior Court Reports	1948–date	N.J. Super.
New Jersey Law Reports	1790–1948	N.J.L.
New Jersey Equity Reports	1830–1948	N.J. Eq.
New Jersey Miscellaneous Reports	1923–1948	N.J. Misc.
County Court (e.g., Essex Cnty. Ct.) and other lower courts: Cite to A.2d.
Tax Court (N.J. Tax Ct.): Cite to N.J. Tax.
New Jersey Tax Court Reports	1979–date	N.J. Tax
Statutory compilations: Cite to N.J. Stat. Ann.
New Jersey Statutes Annotated (West)		N.J. Stat. Ann. § x:x (West <year>)
New Jersey Revised Statutes (2013)		N.J. Rev. Stat. § x:x (<year>)
Session laws: Cite to N.J. Laws.
Laws of New Jersey		<year> N.J. Laws <page no.>
New Jersey Session Law Service (West)		<year> N.J. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
New Jersey Administrative Code (LexisNexis)		N.J. Admin. Code § x:x-x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
New Jersey Register (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> N.J. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Administrative report
New Jersey Administrative Reports	1979–date	N.J. Admin., N.J. Admin. 2d
Local Notes: In local practice, the New Jersey Constitution’s name is underlined: N.J. Const. art. <Roman numeral>, § <number>, ¶ <number>. New Jersey Statutes Annotated are cited as N.J.S.A. followed by the relevant section number but no section symbol: N.J.S.A. <section number>. See New Jersey Manual on Style for Judicial Opinions (2017), https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/assets/attyresources/manualonstyle.pdf
New Mexico
Supreme Court (N.M.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
New Mexico Reports	1852–2012	N.M.
Court of Appeals (N.M. Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1967–date	P.2d, P.3d
New Mexico Reports	1967–2012	N.M.
Statutory compilations: Cite to N.M. Stat. Ann.
New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978 (Conway Greene)		N.M. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s New Mexico Statutes Annotated		N.M. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Michie's Annotated Statutes of New Mexico (LexisNexis)		N.M. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to N.M. Laws.
Laws of the State of New Mexico		<year> N.M. Laws <page no.>
New Mexico Advance Legislative Service (Conway Greene)		<year> N.M. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.>
West's New Mexico Legislative Service		<year> N.M. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of New Mexico Rules (LexisNexis)		N.M. Code R. § x.x.x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
New Mexico Register		<vol. no.> N.M. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: New Mexico has adopted a public domain citation format for cases effective July 1, 2013. See N.M. Sup. Ct. R. 23-112 (Appendix), available at https://casetext.com/rule/new-mexico-court-rules/new-mexico-supreme-court-general-rules/rule-23-112-citations-for-pleadings-and-other-papers/appendix-to-rule-23-112-nmra-technical-and-citation-information. Examples: Glaser v. LeBus, 2012-NMSC-012, 276 P.3d 959. Lasen, Inc. v. Tadjikov, 2020-NMCA-006, 456 P.3d 1090.
New York
Court of Appeals (N.Y.): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1885–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
New York Reports (The first series of N.Y. is reprinted in N.Y.S. and N.Y.S.2d without separate pagination. Do not include a parallel cite to N.Y.S. or N.Y.S.2d in citations to the first series of N.Y.)	1847–date	N.Y., N.Y.2d
West’s New York Supplement	1956–date	N.Y.S.2d, N.Y.S.3d
Court for the Correction of Errors (N.Y.) and Supreme Court of Judicature (N.Y. Sup. Ct.) (highest state courts of law before 1847): Cite to one of the following reporters.
Lockwood’s Reversed Cases	1799–1847	Lock. Rev. Cas.
Denio’s Reports	1845–1848	Denio
Hill and Denio Supplement (Lalor)	1842–1844	Hill & Den.
Hill’s Reports	1841–1844	Hill
Edmond’s Select Cases	1834–1853	Edm. Sel. Cas.
Yates’ Select Cases	1809	Yates Sel. Cas.
Anthon’s Nisi Prius Cases	1807–1851	Ant. N.P. Cas.
Wendell’s Reports	1828–1841	Wend.
Cowen’s Reports	1823–1829	Cow.
Johnson’s Reports	1806–1823	Johns.
Caines’ Reports	1803–1805	Cai.
Caines’ Cases	1796–1805	Cai. Cas.
Coleman & Caines’ Cases	1794–1805	Cole. & Cai. Cas.
Johnson’s Cases	1799–1803	Johns. Cas.
Coleman’s Cases	1791–1800	Cole. Cas.
Court of Chancery (N.Y. Ch.) (highest state court of equity before 1848): Cite to one of the following reporters.
Edwards’ Chancery Reports	1831–1850	Edw. Ch.
Barbour’s Chancery Reports	1845–1848	Barb. Ch.
Sandford’s Chancery Reports	1843–1847	Sand. Ch.
Saratoga Chancery Sentinel	1841–1847	Sarat. Ch. Sent.
Paige’s Chancery Reports	1828–1845	Paige Ch.
Clarke’s Chancery Reports	1839–1841	Cl. Ch.
Hoffman’s Chancery Reports	1839–1840	Hoff. Ch.
Hopkins’ Chancery Reports	1823–1826	Hopk. Ch.
Lansing’s Chancery Reports	1824–1826	Lans. Ch.
Johnson’s Chancery Reports	1814–1823	Johns. Ch.
New York Chancery Reports Annotated	1814–1847	N.Y. Ch. Ann.
Supreme Court, Appellate Division (N.Y. App. Div.), previously Supreme Court, General Term (N.Y. Gen. Term): Cite to N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d, or N.Y.S.3d.
West’s New York Supplement	1888–date	N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d, N.Y.S.3d
Appellate Division Reports	1896–date	A.D., A.D.2d, A.D.3d
Supreme Court Reports	1874–1896	N.Y. Sup. Ct.
Lansing’s Reports	1869–1873	Lans.
Barbour’s Supreme Court Reports	1847–1877	Barb.
Other lower courts (e.g., N.Y. App. Term, N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. Ct. Cl., N.Y. Civ. Ct., N.Y. Crim. Ct., N.Y. Fam. Ct.): Cite to N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d, or N.Y.S.3d.
West’s New York Supplement	1888–date	N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d, N.Y.S.3d
New York Miscellaneous Reports	1892–date	Misc., Misc. 2d
Other lower courts before 1888: Cite to one of the following reporters.
Abbott’s New Cases	1876–1894	Abb. N. Cas.
Abbott’s Practice Reports	1854–1875	Abb. Pr., Abb. Pr. (n.s.)
Howard’s Practice Reports	1844–1886	How. Pr., How. Pr. (n.s.)
Statutory compilations: Cite to one of the following sources.
McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated (West)		N.Y. <subject> Law § x (McKinney <year>)
New York Consolidated Laws Service (LexisNexis)		N.Y. <subject> Law § x (Consol. <year>)
New York Consolidated Laws Unannotated (LexisNexis)		N.Y. <subject> Law § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Abandoned Property		Aband. Prop.
Agricultural Conservation		Agric. Conserv.
Agriculture and Markets		Agric. & Mkts.
Alcoholic Beverage Control		Alco. Bev. Cont.
Alternative County Government		Alt. County Gov’t
Arts and Cultural Affairs		Arts & Cult. Aff.
Banking		Banking
Benevolent Orders		Ben. Ord.
Business Corporation		Bus. Corp.
Canal		Canal
Civil Practice Law and Rules		N.Y. C.P.L.R. <rule no.> (McKinney <year>) or: N.Y. C.P.L.R. <rule no.> (Consol. <year>)
Civil Rights		Civ. Rights
Civil Service		Civ. Serv.
Commerce		Com.
Cooperative Corporations		Coop. Corp.
Correction		Correct.
County		County
Criminal Procedure		Crim. Proc.
Debtor and Creditor		Debt. & Cred.
Domestic Relations		Dom. Rel.
Economic Development		Econ. Dev.
Education		Educ.
Elder		Elder
Election		Elec.
Eminent Domain Procedure		Em. Dom. Proc.
Employers’ Liability		Empl’rs Liab.
Energy		Energy
Environmental Conservation		Envtl. Conserv.
Estates, Powers and Trusts		Est. Powers & Trusts
Executive		Exec.
Financial Services		Fin. Serv.
General Associations		Gen. Ass’ns
General Business		Gen. Bus.
General City		Gen. City
General Construction		Gen. Constr.
General Municipal		Gen. Mun.
General Obligations		Gen. Oblig.
Highway		High.
Indian		Indian
Insurance		Ins.
Judiciary		Jud.
Judiciary Court Acts		Jud. Ct. Acts
Labor		Lab.
Legislative		Legis.
Lien		Lien
Limited Liability Company		Ltd. Liab. Co.
Local Finance		Local Fin.
Mental Hygiene		Mental Hyg.
Military		Mil.
Multiple Dwelling		Mult. Dwell.
Multiple Residence		Mult. Resid.
Municipal Home Rule and Statute of Local Governments		Mun. Home Rule
Navigation		Nav.
Not-for-Profit Corporation		Not-for-Profit Corp.
Optional County Government		Opt. Cty. Gov’t
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation		Parks Rec. & Hist. Preserv.
Partnership		P’ship
Penal		Penal
Personal Property		Pers. Prop.
Private Housing Finance		Priv. Hous. Fin.
Public Authorities		Pub. Auth.
Public Buildings		Pub. Bldgs.
Public Health		Pub. Health
Public Housing		Pub. Hous.
Public Lands		Pub. Lands
Public Officers		Pub. Off.
Public Service		Pub. Serv.
Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding		Rac. Pari-Mut. Wag. & Breed.
Railroad		R.R.
Rapid Transit		Rapid Trans.
Real Property		Real Prop.
Real Property Actions and Proceedings		Real Prop. Acts.
Real Property Tax		Real Prop. Tax
Religious Corporations		Relig. Corp.
Retirement and Social Security		Retire. & Soc. Sec.
Rural Electric Cooperative		Rural Elec. Coop.
Second Class Cities		Second Class Cities
Social Services		Soc. Serv.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts		Soil & Water Conserv. Dist.
State		State
State Administrative Procedure Act		A.P.A.
State Finance		State Fin.
State Printing and Public Documents		State Print. & Pub. Docs.
State Technology		State Tech.
Statutes		Stat.
Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act		Surr. Ct. Proc. Act
Tax		Tax
Town		Town
Transportation		Transp.
Transportation Corporations		Transp. Corp.
Unconsolidated		Unconsol.
Uniform Commercial Code		U.C.C.
Vehicle and Traffic		Veh. & Traf.
Village		Village
Volunteer Ambulance Workers’ Benefit		Vol. Ambul. Workers’ Ben.
Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit		Vol. Fire. Ben.
Workers’ Compensation		Workers’ Comp.
Uncompiled laws: Cite to one of the following sources. For the user’s convenience, the McKinney’s volume in which the law appears is indicated parenthetically below.
McKinney’s Consolidated Laws		N.Y. <law> § x (McKinney <year>)
Consolidated Laws Service		N.Y. <law> § x (Consol. <year>)
LexisNexis New York Consolidated Laws Unannotated		N.Y. <law> § x (LexisNexis <year>)
New York City Civil Court Act (29A)		City Civ. Ct. Act
New York City Criminal Court Act (29A)		City Crim. Ct. Act
Code of Criminal Procedure (11A)		Code Crim. Proc.
Court of Claims Act (29A)		Ct. Cl. Act
Family Court Act (29A)		Fam. Ct. Act
Uniform City Court Act (29A)		Uniform City Ct. Act
Uniform District Court Act (29A)		Uniform Dist. Ct. Act
Uniform Justice Court Act (29A)		Uniform Just. Ct. Act
Session laws: Cite to official N.Y. Laws, if found there; else, cite to N.Y. Sess. Laws.
Laws of New York		<year> N.Y. Laws <page no.>
McKinney's Session Laws of New York (West) (McKinney)		<year> N.Y. Sess. Laws <page no.>
New York Consolidated Laws Service		<year>-<pamph. no.> N.Y. Consol. Laws Adv.
Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
Official Compilation of Codes, Rules & Regulations of the State of New York (West)		N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Administrative register
New York State Register		<vol. no.> N.Y. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Case-citation formats follow the formats shown in the New York Law Reports Style Manual (2017 ed., with cumulative updates through 2020), https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/style-manual/2017/2017-SM.htm. A few key differences include citing the applicable reporter from the New York Official Reports Service, and indicating the Department of the Appellate Division in the court/year parenthetical for intermediate appellate divisions. A few formatting differences include placing the entire citation in parentheses, placing the year in brackets, and omitting periods from the various citation components. Examples: (Brown & Brown, Inc. v Johnson, 25 NY3d 364 [2015]). (Boss v Am. Express Fin. Advisors, Inc., 15 AD3d 306 [1st Dept 2005]). Statutory citations also vary significantly from the Uniform System of Citation’s general standards. For example, periods with abbreviations are also often omitted from New York statutory citations in local practice, such as with citing the Civil Practice Laws and Rules are as CPLR xxxx.
North Carolina
Supreme Court (N.C.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1887–date	S.E., S.E.2d
North Carolina Reports
63 N.C. to date	1868–date	N.C.
Phillips’ Equity	1866–1868	62 N.C. (Phil. Eq.)
Phillips’ Law	1866–1868	61 N.C. (Phil.)
Winston	1863–1864	60 N.C. (Win.)
Jones’ Equity (54–59)	1853–1863	e.g., 54 N.C. (1 Jones Eq.)
Jones’ Law (46–53)	1853–1862	e.g., 46 N.C. (1 Jones)
Busbee’s Equity	1852–1853	45 N.C. (Busb. Eq.)
Busbee’s Law	1852–1853	44 N.C. (Busb.)
Iredell’s Equity (36–43)	1840–1852	e.g., 36 N.C. (1 Ired. Eq.)
Iredell’s Law (23–35)	1840–1852	e.g., 23 N.C. (1 Ired.)
Devereux & Battle’s Equity (21–22)	1834–1839	e.g., 21 N.C. (1 Dev. & Bat. Eq.)
Devereux & Battle’s Law (18–20)	1834–1839	e.g., 20 N.C. (3 & 4 Dev. & Bat.)
Devereux’s Equity (16–17)	1826–1834	e.g., 16 N.C. (1 Dev. Eq.)
Devereux’s Law (12–15)	1826–1834	e.g., 12 N.C. (1 Dev.)
Hawks (8–11)	1820–1826	e.g., 8 N.C. (1 Hawks)
Murphey (5–7)	1804–1813 1818–1819	e.g., 5 N.C. (1 Mur.)
Taylor’s North Carolina Term Reports	1816–1818	4 N.C. (Taylor)
Carolina Law Repository	1813–1816	4 N.C. (Car. L. Rep.)
Haywood (2–3)	1789–1806	e.g., 2 N.C. (1 Hayw.)
Conference by Cameron & Norwood	1800–1804	1 N.C. (Cam. & Nor.)
Taylor	1798–1802	1 N.C. (Tay.)
Martin	1778–1797	1 N.C. (Mart.)
Court of Appeals (N.C. Ct. App.): Cite to S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1968–date	S.E.2d
North Carolina Court of Appeals Reports	1968–date	N.C. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to N.C. Gen. Stat. (published by LexisNexis).
General Statutes of North Carolina (LexisNexis)		N.C. Gen. Stat. § x-x (<year>)
West’s North Carolina General Statutes Annotated		N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to N.C. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of North Carolina		<year> N.C. Sess. Laws <page no.>
North Carolina <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> N.C. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
North Carolina Legislative Service (West)		<year> N.C. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
North Carolina Administrative Code (West)		<tit. no.> N.C. Admin. Code <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
North Carolina Register (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> N.C. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: North Carolina has adopted a public domain citation format, effective January 2021. See Supreme Court of North Carolina, Universal Citation for North Carolina Fact Sheet (Nov. 2020), https://www.nccourts.gov/assets/news-uploads/FINAL_fact-sheet_UniversalCitation--SCofNC_11182020.pdf?JVPiE5JQ6Yeng5IJ8_a1TzZF6bjdSTgt Examples: Crazie Overstock Promotions, LLC v. State, 2021-NCSC-57, 858 S.E.2d 581. Town of Apex v. Rubin, 2021-NCCOA-187, 858 S.E.2d 387. North Carolina statutes are cited as N.C.G.S. § xx-xx (year). See generally Supreme Court Office of Administrative Counsel, The Guidebook: Citation, Style, and Usage at the Supreme Court of North Carolina (2019), https://www.nccourts.gov/assets/inline-files/TheGuidebook_SupremeCourtofNorthCarolina_062019_0.pdf?1lTTY94loM9lL3LuzuIEZ04IbNaxjiSJ; Appellate Rules Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association, A Style Manual for the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure (2021), https://www.ncbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-13-FINAL-Style-Manual-with-Hyperlinks.pdf.
North Dakota
Supreme Court (N.D.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1890–date	N.W., N.W.2d
North Dakota Reports	1890–1953	N.D.
Supreme Court of Dakota (Dakota): Cite to N.W.
North Western Reporter	1879–1889	N.W.
Dakota Reports	1867–1889	Dakota
Court of Appeals of North Dakota (N.D. Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1987–date	N.W.2d
Statutory compilations: Cite to N.D. Cent. Code.
North Dakota Century Code (LexisNexis)		N.D. Cent. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s North Dakota Century Code Annotated		N.D. Cent. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to N.D. Laws.
Laws of North Dakota		<year> N.D. Laws <page no.>
North Dakota Century Code <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> N.D. Cent. Code Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s North Dakota Legislative Service		<year> N.D. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
North Dakota Administrative Code		N.D. Admin. Code <rule no.> (<year>)
Local Notes: North Dakota has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1996. See North Dakota Supreme Court Citation Manual (2000), https://www.ndcourts.gov/supreme-court/citation-manual Examples: Smith v. Jones, 1997 ND 15. Smith v. Jones, 1997 ND 15, 600 N.W.2d 900. Smith v. Jones, 1997 ND 15, ¶ 21. Smith v. Jones, 1997 ND 15, ¶ 21, 600 N.W.2d 900.
Ohio
Supreme Court (Ohio): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1885–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Ohio State Reports	1852–date	Ohio St., Ohio St. 2d, Ohio St. 3d
Ohio Reports	1821–1851	Ohio
Wilcox’s Condensed Reports	1821–1831	Wilc. Cond. Rep.
Wright	1831–1834	Wright
Ohio Unreported Cases	1809–1899	Ohio Unrep. Cas.
Court of Appeals (Ohio Ct. App.): Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d.
North Eastern Reporter	1926–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Ohio Appellate Reports	1913–date	Ohio App., Ohio App. 2d, Ohio App. 3d
Ohio Circuit Court Reports	1914–1917	Ohio C.C.
Ohio Courts of Appeals Reports	1916–1922	Ohio Ct. App.
Other law courts: Cite to N.E., N.E.2d, or N.E.3d, if found there; else, cite to another reporter in the following order of preference.
North Eastern Reporter	1926–date	N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d
Ohio Miscellaneous Reports	1962–2012	Ohio Misc., Ohio Misc. 2d
Ohio Bar Reports	1982–1987	Ohio B.
Ohio Opinions	1934–1982	Ohio Op., Ohio Op. 2d, Ohio Op. 3d
Ohio Law Abstract	1922–1964	Ohio Law Abs.
Ohio Nisi Prius Reports	1903–1934	Ohio N.P., Ohio N.P. (n.s.)
Ohio Decisions	1894–1921	Ohio Dec.
Ohio Decisions, Reprint	1840–1893	Ohio Dec. Reprint
Ohio Circuit Decisions	1885–1923	Ohio Cir. Dec.
Ohio Circuit Court Decisions	1901–1923	e.g., 13-23 Ohio C.C. Dec.
Ohio Circuit Court Reports	1885–1901	Ohio C.C.
Ohio Law Bulletin	1876–1921	Ohio L. Bull.
Ohio Circuit Court Reports, New Series	1903–1917	Ohio C.C. (n.s.)
Ohio Law Reporter	1903–1934	Ohio L.R.
Tappen’s Reports	1816–1819	Tapp. Rep.
Anderson’s Unreported Ohio Appellate Cases	1990	Ohio App. Unrep.
Statutory compilations: Cite to one of the following codes.
Page’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated (LexisNexis): Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § <section number> (LexisNexis <year> )		Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Baldwin’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated (West): Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § <section number> (West <year> )		Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Ohio Laws.
State of Ohio: Legislative Acts Passed and Joint Resolutions Adopted <year> Ohio Laws <page no.>
Page’s Ohio Legislative Bulletin (LexisNexis)		<year> Ohio Legis. Bull. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Baldwin’s Ohio Legislative Service Annotated (West)		<year> Ohio Legis. Serv. Ann. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Baldwin's Ohio Administrative Code (West): Ohio Admin. Code <rule no.> <year>		Ohio Admin. Code <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative and executive registers: Cite to one of the following registers.
Baldwin's Ohio Monthly Record	1977–date	Ohio Monthly Rec. <page no.> (<month year>)
Ohio Government Reports	1965–1976	Ohio Gov’t <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Ohio Department Reports	1914–1964	Ohio Dep’t <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Extensive guidance and rules are provided by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Writing Manual: A Guide to Citations, Style, and Judicial Opinion Writing (2d ed. 2013), https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/ROD/manual.pdf. The Ohio Revised Code is customarily cited locally as R.C. § xx.xx. A common local variation of this statutory citation is O.R.C. § xx.xx. The Ohio Court of Appeals is divided into appellate districts that should be indicated parenthetically in the court/year component. Ohio has adopted a public domain citation format for cases decided after April 30, 2002. Examples: Bonacorsi v. Wheeling & Lake Erie Ry. Co., 95 Ohio St.3d 314, 2002-Ohio-2220, 767 N.E.2d 707, ¶ 15. Bowling Green v. Godwin, 110 Ohio St.3d 58, 2006-Ohio-3563, 850 N.E.2d 698, ¶ 13, fn. 1. Byer v. Wright, 160 Ohio App.3d 472, 2005-Ohio-1797, 827 N.E.2d 835 (11th Dist.).
Oklahoma
Supreme Court (Okla.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1890–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Oklahoma Reports	1890–1953	Okla.
Court of Appeals of Indian Territory (Indian Terr.): Cite to S.W.
South Western Reporter	1896–1907	S.W.
Indian Territory Reports	1896–1907	Indian Terr.
Court of Criminal Appeals (Okla. Crim. App.), before 1959 Criminal Court of Appeals (Okla. Crim. App.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1908–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Oklahoma Criminal Reports	1908–1953	Okla. Crim.
Court of Civil Appeals (Okla. Civ. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1971–date	P.2d, P.3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Okla. Stat.
Oklahoma Statutes (West)		Okla. Stat. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Oklahoma Statutes Annotated (West)		Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. x, § x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Okla. Sess. Laws.
Oklahoma Session Laws (West)		<year> Okla. Sess. Laws <page no.>
Oklahoma Session Law Service (West)		<year> Okla. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Oklahoma Administrative Code		Okla. Admin. Code § x:x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative registers: Cite to one of the following sources.
Oklahoma Register 1983–date		<vol. no.> Okla. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Oklahoma Gazette 1962–1983		<vol. no.> Okla. Gaz. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Oklahoma has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after May 1, 1997. See Okla. Sup. Ct. R. 1.200(e); Okla. Crim. App. R. 3.5.C(2)(a). Examples: MTG Guarnieri Mfg., Inc. v. Clouatre, 2010 OK CIV APP 71, 239 P.3d 202. Harvell v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 2006 OK 24, 164 P.3d 1028.
Oregon
Supreme Court (Or.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Oregon Reports	1853–date	Or.
Court of Appeals (Or. Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1969–date	P.2d, P.3d
Oregon Reports, Court of Appeals	1969–date	Or. App.
Tax Court (Or. T.C.): Cite to Or. Tax.
Oregon Tax Reports	1962–date	Or. Tax
Statutory compilations: Cite to Or. Rev. Stat.
Oregon Revised Statutes		Or. Rev. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
West’s Oregon Revised Statutes Annotated		Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Or. Laws. When citing statutes repealed during or after 1953, indicate parenthetically the former Or. Rev. Stat. sections.
Oregon Laws and Resolutions		<year> Or. Laws <page no.>
		<year> Or. Laws Spec. Sess. <page no.>
		<year> Or. Laws Adv. Sh. No. x, <page no.>
West’s Oregon Legislative Service		<year> Or. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Oregon Administrative Rules		Or. Admin. R. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Oregon Bulletin		<vol. no.> Or. Bull. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Oregon Statutes are locally cited ORS § xxx.xxx. See generally Oregon Appellate Courts Style Manual (2018), https://www.courts.oregon.gov/publications/Documents/UpdatedStyleManual2002.pdf
Pennsylvania
Supreme Court (Pa.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Pennsylvania State Reports	1845–date	Pa.
Monaghan	1888–1890	Monag.
Sadler	1885–1889	Sadler
Walker	1855–1885	Walk.
Pennypacker	1881–1884	Pennyp.
Grant	1814–1863	Grant
Watts and Sergeant	1841–1845	Watts & Serg.
Wharton	1835–1841	Whart.
Watts	1832–1840	Watts
Rawle	1828–1835	Rawle
Penrose and Watts	1829–1832	Pen. & W.
Sergeant and Rawle	1814–1828	Serg. & Rawle
Binney	1799–1814	Binn.
Yeates	1791–1808	Yeates
Addison	1791–1799	Add.
Dallas	1754–1806	Dall.
Alden	1754–1814	Ald.
Superior Court (Pa. Super. Ct.): Cite to A., A.2d, or A.3d. For cases decided after December 31, 1998, use the following public domain citation format: Example: Jones v. Smith, 1999 PA Super 1
Atlantic Reporter	1931–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Pennsylvania Superior Court Reports	1895–1997	Pa. Super.
Commonwealth Court (Pa. Commw. Ct.): Cite to A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1970–date	A.2d, A.3d
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Reports	1970–1994	Pa. Commw.
Other lower courts: Cite to Pa. D. & C., Pa. D. & C.2d, Pa. D. & C.3d, Pa. D. & C.4th, or Pa. D. & C.5th. Not all lower court decisions are reproduced in the reporters listed below, and it may be necessary, on occasion, to cite to the legal reporter for an individual county, if available. For a comprehensive list of Pennsylvania county court reports, consult chapter seven, appendix four, Frank Y. Liu et al., Pennsylvania Legal Research Handbook (2008).
Pennsylvania District and County Reports	1918–date	Pa. D. & C., Pa. D. & C.2d, Pa. D. & C.3d, Pa. D. & C.4th, Pa. D. & C.5th
Pennsylvania District Reports	1892–1921	Pa. D.
Pennsylvania County Court Reports	1870–1921	Pa. C.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Pa. Cons. Stat. (79 titles). These publications should not be confused with Pa. Code, which is a code of regulations, not of legislation.
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes		<tit. no.> Pa. Cons. Stat. § x (<year>)
Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes Annotated (West)		<tit. no.> Pa. Stat. and Cons. Stat. Ann. § x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Pa. Laws.
Laws of Pennsylvania		<year> Pa. Laws <page no.>
Purdon’s Pennsylvania Legislative Service (West)		<year> Pa. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Pennsylvania Code (Fry Communications)		<tit. no.> Pa. Code § x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Pennsylvania Bulletin (Fry Communications)		<vol. no.> Pa. Bull. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Pennsylvania has a complex system of consolidated and unconsolidated statutes, and may provide a parallel citation to Purdom’s Pennsylvania Statutes Annotated if available. See Order Amending Rule 126 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure, No. 278 Appellate Procedural Rules Doc., 49 Pa. B. 1335 (March 23, 2019), http://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pabull?file=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol49/49-12/416.html.
Rhode Island
Supreme Court (R.I.): Cite to A., A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Rhode Island Reports	1828–1980	R.I.
Statutory compilations: Cite to R.I. Gen. Laws.
General Laws of Rhode Island (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.> R.I. Gen. Laws § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s General Laws of Rhode Island Annotated		<tit. no.> R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to R.I. Pub. Laws.
Public Laws of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations		<year> R.I. Pub. Laws <page no.>
Acts and Resolves of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations		<year> R.I. Acts & Resolves <page no.>
Rhode Island Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> R.I. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Rhode Island Advance Legislative Service		<year> R.I. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Rhode Island Rules (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.>-<ch. no.> R.I. Code R. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Rhode Island Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> R.I. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
South Carolina
Supreme Court after 1868 (S.C.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1887–date	S.E., S.E.2d
South Carolina Reports	1868–date	S.C.
Court of Appeals (S.C. Ct. App.): Cite to S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1983–date	S.E.2d
South Carolina Reports	1983–date	S.C.
Courts of law before 1868: Cite to South Carolina Law Reports (S.C.L.)
Richardson (37–49)	1850–1868	e.g., 37 S.C.L. (3 Rich.)
Strobhart (32–36)	1846–1850	e.g., 32 S.C.L. (1 Strob.)
Richardson (30–31)	1844–1846	e.g., 30 S.C.L. (1 Rich.)
Speers (28–29)	1842–1844	e.g., 28 S.C.L. (1 Speers)
McMullan (26–27)	1840–1842	e.g., 26 S.C.L. (1 McMul.)
Cheves	1839–1840	25 S.C.L. (Chev.)
Rice	1838–1839	24 S.C.L. (Rice)
Dudley	1837–1838	23 S.C.L. (Dud.)
Riley	1836–1837	22 S.C.L. (Ril.)
Hill (19–21)	1833–1837	e.g., 19 S.C.L. (1 Hill)
Bailey (17–18)	1828–1832	e.g., 17 S.C.L. (1 Bail.)
Harper	1823–1824	16 S.C.L. (Harp.)
McCord (12–15)	1821–1828	e.g., 12 S.C.L. (1 McCord)
Nott and McCord (10–11)	1817–1820	e.g., 10 S.C.L. (1 Nott & McC.)
Mill (Constitutional) (8–9)	1817–1818	e.g., 8 S.C.L. (1 Mill)
Treadway (6–7)	1812–1816	e.g., 6 S.C.L. (1 Tread.)
Brevard (3–5)	1793–1816	e.g., 3 S.C.L. (1 Brev.)
Bay (1–2)	1783–1804	e.g., 1 S.C.L. (1 Bay)
Courts of equity before 1868: Cite to South Carolina Equity Reports (S.C. Eq.)
Richardson’s Equity (24–35)	1850–1868	e.g., 24 S.C. Eq. (3 Rich. Eq.)
Strobhart’s Equity (20–23)	1846–1850	e.g., 20 S.C. Eq. (1 Strob. Eq.)
Richardson’s Equity (18–19)	1844–1846	e.g., 18 S.C. Eq. (1 Rich. Eq.)
Speers’ Equity	1842–1844	17 S.C. Eq. (Speers Eq.)
McMullan’s Equity	1840–1842	16 S.C. Eq. (McMul. Eq.)
Cheves’ Equity	1839–1840	15 S.C. Eq. (Chev. Eq.)
Rice’s Equity	1838–1839	14 S.C. Eq. (Rice Eq.)
Dudley’s Equity	1837–1838	13 S.C. Eq. (Dud. Eq.)
Riley’s Chancery	1836–1837	12 S.C. Eq. (Ril. Eq.)
Hill’s Chancery (10–11)	1833–1837	e.g., 10 S.C. Eq. (1 Hill Eq.)
Richardson’s Cases	1831–1832	9 S.C. Eq. (Rich. Cas.)
Bailey’s Equity	1830–1831	8 S.C. Eq. (Bail. Eq.)
McCord’s Chancery (6–7)	1825–1827	e.g., 6 S.C. Eq. (1 McCord Eq.)
Harper’s Equity	1824	5 S.C. Eq. (Harp. Eq.)
Desaussure’s Equity (1–4)	1784–1817	e.g., 1 S.C. Eq. (1 Des. Eq.)
Statutory compilation
Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976 Annotated		S.C. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
Session laws
Acts and Joint Resolutions, South Carolina		<year> S.C. Acts <page no.>
Administrative compilation: Administrative regulations appear in volumes 1–10 of S.C. Code Ann. This publication should not be confused with the statutory compilation of the same name, which also contains volumes 1–10.
Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976 Annotated: Code of Regulations (West)		S.C. Code Ann. Regs. <reg no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
South Carolina State Register		<vol. no.> S.C. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
South Dakota
Supreme Court (S.D.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1890–date	N.W., N.W.2d
South Dakota Reports	1890–1976	S.D.
Supreme Court of Dakota (Dakota): Cite to N.W.
North Western Reporter	1879–1889	N.W.
Dakota Reports	1867–1889	Dakota
Statutory compilation
South Dakota Codified Laws (West)		S.D. Codified Laws § x-x-x (<year>)
Session laws: Cite to S.D. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of South Dakota		<year> S.D. Sess. Laws <ch. x § x> <page no.>
Administrative compilation
Administrative Rules of South Dakota		S.D. Admin. R. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
South Dakota Register		<vol. no.> S.D. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The South Dakota Codified Laws are locally cited as SDCL § x-x-x. See SDCL § 2-16-18. South Dakota has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1996. See S.D. R. Civ. Pro. § 15-26A-69.1 and S.D. Sup. Ct. R. 10-05. Example: JAS Enters., Inc. v. BBS Enters., Inc., 2013 S.D. 54, 835 N.W.2d 117.
Tennessee
Supreme Court (Tenn.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1886–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Tennessee Reports
60 Tenn. to 225 Tenn.	1872–1972	Tenn.
Heiskell	1870–1874	e.g., 48 Tenn. (1 Heisk.)
Coldwell	1860–1870	e.g., 41 Tenn. (1 Cold.)
Head	1858–1860	e.g., 38 Tenn. (1 Head)
Sneed	1853–1858	e.g., 33 Tenn. (1 Sneed)
Swan	1851–1853	e.g., 31 Tenn. (1 Swan)
Humphreys	1839–1851	e.g., 20 Tenn. (1 Hum.)
Meigs	1838–1839	19 Tenn. (Meigs)
Yerger	1818–1837	e.g., 9 Tenn. (1 Yer.)
Martin & Yerger	1825–1828	8 Tenn. (Mart. & Yer.)
Peck	1821–1824	7 Tenn. (Peck)
Haywood	1816–1818	e.g., 4 Tenn. (1 Hayw.)
Cooke	1811–1814	3 Tenn. (Cooke)
Overton	1791–1815	e.g., 1 Tenn. (1 Overt.)
Court of Appeals (Tenn. Ct. App.): Cite to S.W.2d or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1932–date	S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Tennessee Appeals Reports	1925–1971	Tenn. App.
Court of Criminal Appeals (Tenn. Crim. App.): Cite to S.W.2d or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1967–date	S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Tennessee Criminal Appeals Reports	1967–1971	Tenn. Crim. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Tenn. Code Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Tennessee Code Annotated (LexisNexis)		Tenn. Code Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West's Tennessee Code Annotated		Tenn. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Tenn. Pub. Acts or Tenn. Priv. Acts.
Public Acts of the State of Tennessee		<year> Tenn. Pub. Acts <page no.>
Private Acts of the State of Tennessee		<year> Tenn. Priv. Acts <page no.>
Tennessee Code Annotated Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Tenn. Code Ann. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Tennessee Legislative Service		<year> Tenn. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Official Compilation Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee		Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. <rule no.> (<year>)
Administrative register
Tennessee Administrative Register		<vol. no.> Tenn. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month year>)
Texas
Supreme Court (Tex.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1886–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Texas Reports	1846–1962	Tex.
Synopses of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of Texas Arising from Restraints by Conscript and Other Military Authorities (Robards)	1862–1865	Robards (no vol. number)
Texas Law Review (containing previously unpublished cases from the 1845 term)	1845–1846	65 Tex. L. Rev.
Digest of the Laws of Texas (Dallam’s Opinions)	1840–1844	Dallam (no vol. number)
Texas Supreme Court Journal	1957–date	Tex. Sup. Ct. J.
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.
South Western Reporter	1892–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Texas Criminal Reports	1892–1962	Tex. Crim.
Texas Court of Appeals Reports	1876–1892	Tex. Ct. App.
Condensed Reports of Decisions in Civil Causes in the Court of Appeals (White & Willson vol. 1) (Willson vols. 2–4)	1876–1883 1883–1892	White & W. Willson
Commission of Appeals (Tex. Comm’n App.): Cite to S.W. or S.W.2d.
South Western Reporter	1886–1892	S.W.
	1918–1945	S.W.2d
Texas Reports	1879–1892 1918–1945	Tex.
Texas Unreported Cases (Posey)	1879–1884	Posey
Condensed Reports of Decisions in Civil Causes in the Court of Appeals (White & Willson)	1879–1883	White & W.
Courts of Appeals (Tex. App.), previously Courts of Civil Appeals (Tex. Civ. App.): Cite to S.W., S.W.2d, or S.W.3d.
South Western Reporter	1892–date	S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d
Texas Civil Appeals Reports	1892–1911	Tex. Civ. App.
Consult Texas-specific citation guides for historical subsequent history when citing opinions of the Commission of Appeals from 1879 to 1892. For additional information on the history and structure of Texas courts and on local citation rules, the following sources are suggested: Texas Law Review Ass’n, The Greenbook: Texas Rules of Form (14th ed. 2018); Lydia M.V. Brandt, Texas Legal Research (1995); and A Reference Guide to Texas Law and Legal History (Karl T. Gruben & James E. Hambleton eds., 2d ed. 1987).
Statutory compilations: Texas is nearing the completion of a recodification of its laws. Cite to the new subject-matter Tex. Code Ann., if found there; else, 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 were not part of the new subject-matter Tex. Code Ann., but as of the 2023 printing of this citation manual, their subject matter has been almost entirely recodified into the Tex. Code Ann.
Vernon’s Texas Codes Annotated (West)		Tex. <Subject> Code Ann. § x (West <year>)
Vernon’s Texas Revised Civil Statutes Annotated (West)		Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat. Ann. art. x, § x (West <year>)
Vernon’s Texas Business Corporation Act Annotated (West)		Tex. Bus. Corp. Act Ann. art. x (West <year>)
Vernon’s Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Annotated (West)		Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. x (West <year>)
Vernon’s Texas Insurance Code Annotated (West)		Tex. Ins. Code Ann. art. x (West <year>)
Vernon’s Texas Probate Code Annotated (West) (repealed)		Tex. Prob. Code Ann. § x (West <year>) (Note this independent code has been repealed as of 2014)
Texas Subject-Matter Codes
Agriculture		Agric.
Alcoholic Beverage		Alco. Bev.
Business and Commerce		Bus. & Com.
Business Organizations (effective Jan. 1, 2006)		Bus. Orgs.
Civil Practice and Remedies		Civ. Prac. & Rem.
Education		Educ.
Election		Elec.
Estates		Est.
Family		Fam.
Finance		Fin.
Government		Gov’t
Health and Safety		Health & Safety
Human Resources		Hum. Res.
Insurance		Ins.
Labor		Lab.
Local Government		Loc. Gov’t
Natural Resources		Nat. Res.
Occupations		Occ.
Parks and Wildlife		Parks & Wild.
Penal		Penal
Property		Prop.
Special District Local Laws		Spec. Dists.
Tax		Tax
Transportation		Transp.
Utilities		Util.
Water		Water
Session laws: Cite to Tex. Gen. Laws.
General and Special Laws of the State of Texas		<year> Tex. Gen. Laws <page no.>
Vernon’s Texas Session Law Service (West)		<year> Tex. Sess. Law Serv. <page no.> (West)
Laws of the Republic of Texas		<year> Repub. Tex. Laws <page no.>
Session laws passed before 1941 must be cited according to the exact title, e.g., Tex. Loc. & Spec. Laws, Tex. Gen. & Spec. Laws, and Tex. Gen. Laws. The Revised Statutes were enacted and published separately in 1879, 1895, 1911, and 1925 and should be cited as <year> Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat. xxx. The Code of Criminal Procedure and Penal Code were enacted and published separately in 1856, 1879, 1895, 1911, and 1925 and should be cited as <year> Tex. Crim. Stat. xxx.
Administrative compilation
Texas Administrative Code (West)		<tit. no.> Tex. Admin. Code § x.x (<year>)
Administrative register
Texas Register (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> Tex. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: See generally The Greenbook, Texas Rules of Form (15th ed. 2022). At the intermediate appellate level, the Texas courts are divided into regional intermediate appellate districts. The Houston appellate district has two numbered districts and thus also includes either [1st Dist.] or [14^th Dist.]. Customary local practice for Texas intermediate appellate citations is as follows: <case name>, <vo.> S.W. 2d <page> (Tex. App.—<name of intermediate appellate district> <year>). Customary local practice also includes subsequent history in the citation parenthetical. Example: Titan Oil & Gas Consultants, LLC v. Willis, 614 S.W.3d 261 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2020, pet. filed).
Utah
Supreme Court (Utah): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1881–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Utah Reports	1873–1974	Utah, Utah 2d
Court of Appeals (Utah Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1987–date	P.2d, P.3d
Statutory compilations: Cite to one of the following codes.
Utah Code Annotated (LexisNexis)		Utah Code Ann. § x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
West’s Utah Code Annotated		Utah Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Utah Laws.
Laws of Utah		<year> Utah Laws <page no.>
Utah Code <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Utah Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Utah Legislative Service (West)		<year> Utah. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Utah Administrative Code		Utah Admin. Code r. x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Utah State Bulletin		<iss. no.> Utah Bull. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Utah has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 1998. See Utah App R. 24(f). Include parallel citations to the Pacific Reporter where available. Include parallel citations to the Utah Advanced Reports (if possible) when no citation to the Pacific Reporter is available. Examples: Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT 16. Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT App 16. Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT 16, 380 Utah Adv. Rep. 24. Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT App 16, 380 Utah Adv. Rep. 24. Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT 16, 998 P.2d 250. Smith v. Jones, 1999 UT App 16, 998 P.2d 250.
Vermont
Supreme Court (Vt.): Cite to A., A.2d or A.3d.
Atlantic Reporter	1885–date	A., A.2d, A.3d
Vermont Reports	1826–date	Vt.
Aikens	1825–1828	Aik.
Chipman, D.	1789–1824	D. Chip.
Brayton	1815–1819	Brayt.
Tyler	1800–1803	Tyl.
Chipman, N.	1789–1791	N. Chip.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Vt. Stat. Ann. (published by LexisNexis), if found there
Vermont Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. x, § x (<year>)
West’s Vermont Statutes Annotated		Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. x, § x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Vt. Acts & Resolves.
Acts and Resolves of Vermont		<year> Vt. Acts & Resolves <page no.>
Vermont <year> Advance Legislative Service(LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Vt. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Vermont Legislative Service		<year> Vt. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Vermont Rules (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.>-<ch. no.> Vt. Code R. § x (<year>)
Administrative register
Vermont Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Vt. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: Vermont Statutes Annotated are cited locally as xx V.S.A. § xx. See 1 V.S.A. § 51. Vermont has adopted a public domain citation format for cases after December 31, 2002. See Vt. R. App. P. 28.2. Example: Smith v. Jones, 2001 VT 1, ¶ 12, 169 Vt. 203, 850 A.2d 421.
Virginia
Supreme Court (Va.), previously Supreme Court of Appeals (Va.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1887–date	S.E., S.E.2d
Virginia Reports
75 Va. to date	1880–date	Va.
Grattan	1844–1880	e.g., 42 Va. (1 Gratt.)
Robinson	1842–1844	e.g., 40 Va. (1 Rob.)
Leigh	1829–1842	e.g., 28 Va. (1 Leigh)
Randolph	1821–1828	e.g., 22 Va. (1 Rand.)
Gilmer	1820–1821	21 Va. (Gilmer)
Munford	1810–1820	e.g., 15 Va. (1 Munf.)
Hening & Munford	1806–1810	e.g., 11 Va. (1 Hen. & M.)
Call	1779–1825	e.g., 5 Va. (1 Call)
Virginia Cases, Criminal	1789–1826	e.g., 3 Va. (1 Va. Cas.)
Washington	1790–1796	e.g., 1 Va. (1 Wash.)
Court of Appeals (Va. Ct. App.): Cite to S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1985–date	S.E.2d
Virginia Court of Appeals Reports	1985–date	Va. App.
Circuit Court (Va. Cir. Ct.): Cite to Va. Cir.
Virginia Circuit Court Opinions	1957–date	Va. Cir.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Va. Code Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Code of Virginia 1950 Annotated (LexisNexis)		Va. Code Ann. § x-x (<year>)
West’s Annotated Code of Virginia		Va. Code Ann. § x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Va. Acts.
Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia		<year> Va. Acts <page no.>
Virginia <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> Va. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s Virginia Legislative Service		<year> Va. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Virginia Administrative Code (West)		<tit. no.> Va. Admin. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Virginia Register of Regulations (LexisNexis)		<vol. no.> Va. Reg. Regs. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Washington
Supreme Court (Wash.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1880–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Washington Reports	1889–date	Wash., Wash. 2d
Washington Territory Reports	1854–1888	Wash. Terr.
Court of Appeals (Wash. Ct. App.): Cite to P.2d or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1969–date	P.2d, P.3d
Washington Appellate Reports	1969–date	Wash. App.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Wash. Rev. Code.
Revised Code of Washington		Wash. Rev. Code § x.x.x (<year>)
West's Revised Code of Washington Annotated		Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § x.x.x (West <year>)
Annotated Revised Code of Washington (LexisNexis)		Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § x.x.x (LexisNexis <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Wash. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Washington		<year> Wash. Sess. Laws <page no.>
West’s Washington Legislative Service		<year> Wash. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Washington Administrative Code		Wash. Admin. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Washington State Register		<iss. no.> Wash. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Locally, the state code is often cited RCW xx.xx.xx. See generally Official Reporter of Decisions, Style Sheet, Washington Courts (July 3, 2018), https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supreme/?fa=atc_supreme.style. In state court practice, parallel citations use unique reporter abbreviations: The Washington Reports, 1st & 2d Series are abbreviated as “Wash.” and “Wn.2d”, respectively. The Washington Appellate Reports are abbreviated as “Wn. App.” and “Wn. App. 2d”. Examples: Diaz v. State, 175 Wn.2d 457, 285 P.3d 873 (2012) Bengtsson v. Sunnyworld Int’l, Inc., 14 Wn. App. 2d 91, 469 P.3d 339 (2020)
West Virginia
Supreme Court of Appeals (W. Va.): Cite to S.E. or S.E.2d.
South Eastern Reporter	1886–date	S.E., S.E.2d
West Virginia Reports	1864–date	W. Va. (do not indicate court in court/year parenthetical)
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals (W. Va. Ct. App.)
South Eastern Reporter (if published opinion)	2022-date	S.E.2d
West Virginia Reports (if published opinion)	2022-date	W. Va. (indicate Ct. App. in court/year parenthetical)
Statutory compilations: Cite to W. Va. Code.
West Virginia Code		W. Va. Code § x-x-x (<year>)
Michie’s West Virginia Code Annotated (LexisNexis)		W. Va. Code Ann. § x-x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
West’s Annotated Code of West Virginia		W. Va. Code Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to W. Va. Acts.
Acts of the Legislature of West Virginia		<year> W. Va. Acts <page no.>
West Virginia <year> Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		<year>-<pamph. no.> W. Va. Adv. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
West’s West Virginia Legislative Service		<year> W. Va. Legis. Serv. <page no.>
Administrative compilation
West Virginia Code of State Rules		W. Va. Code R. § x-x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
West Virginia Register		<vol. no.> W. Va. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals began hearing and deciding cases in June 2021. Its published opinions are cited as shown above: PrimeCare Med. of WV, Inc. v. Foster, 247 W. Va. 590, 885 S.E.2d 171, 175 (Ct. App. 2023) Unpublished memorandum opinions are cited as follows: Blackhawk Mining, LLC v. Coomes, No. 22-ICA-264, 2023 WL 4029148 (W. Va. Ct. App. June 15, 2023) The West Virginia appellate courts typically cite the West Virginia Code with no year when citing current statutory law (similar to U.S. Code citations), or with the year of the most recent amendment to the code section being cited, such as this citation from a 2023 West Virginia Supreme Court opinion: West Virginia Code § 11-4-9 (1935), cited in Collingwood Appalachian Mins. III, LLC v. Erlewine, No. 22-0139, 2023 WL 4013373, at *4 (W. Va. June 15, 2023)
Wisconsin
Supreme Court (Wis.): Cite to N.W. or N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1879–date	N.W., N.W.2d
Wisconsin Reports	1853–date	Wis., Wis. 2d
Pinney	1839–1852	Pin.
Chandler	1849–1852	Chand.
Burnett	1842–1843	Bur.
Burnett (bound with session laws for Dec. 1841)	1841	Bur.
Court of Appeals (Wis. Ct. App.): Cite to N.W.2d.
North Western Reporter	1978–date	N.W.2d
Wisconsin Reports	1978–date	Wis. 2d
Statutory compilations: Cite to Wis. Stat.
Wisconsin Statutes		Wis. Stat. § x.x (<year>)
West’s Wisconsin Statutes Annotated		Wis. Stat. Ann. § x.x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Wis. Sess. Laws.
Wisconsin Session Laws		<year> Wis. Sess. Laws <page no.>
West’s Wisconsin Legislative Service		<year> Wis. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Wisconsin Administrative Code		Wis. Admin. Code <agency abbreviation> § x-x (<year>)
Administrative register
Wisconsin Administrative Register		<iss. no.> Wis. Admin. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Local Notes: Wisconsin has adopted a public domain citation format for cases decided after December 31, 1999. See Wis. Sup. Ct. R. 80, https://www.wicourts.gov/sc/scrule/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=146082. Examples: Smith v. Jones, 2000 WI 14, ¶ 6. Smith v. Jones, 214 Wis. 2d 408, ¶ 12. Doe v. Roe, 2001 WI App 9, ¶ 17. Doe v. Roe, 595 N.W.2d 346, ¶ 27.
Wyoming
Supreme Court (Wyo.): Cite to P., P.2d, or P.3d.
Pacific Reporter	1883–date	P., P.2d, P.3d
Wyoming Reports	1870–1959	Wyo.
Statutory compilations: Cite to Wyo. Stat. Ann. (published by LexisNexis).
Wyoming Statutes Annotated (LexisNexis)		Wyo. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (<year>)
West’s Wyoming Statutes Annotated		Wyo. Stat. Ann. § x-x-x (West <year>)
Session laws: Cite to Wyo. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of Wyoming		<year> Wyo. Sess. Laws <page no.>
West’s Wyoming Legislative Service		<year> Wyo. Legis. Serv. <page no.> (West)
Administrative compilation
Code of Wyoming Rules (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.>-<ch. no.> Wyo. Code R. § x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Wyoming Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> Wyo. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)
Local Notes: Wyoming has adopted a public domain citation format for cases decided after December 31, 2003. See Order Amending Citation Format (Aug. 19, 2005). Parallel citations are optional. Examples: Doe v. Roe, 2001 WY 12. Doe v. Roe, 2001 WY 12, 989 P.2d 1312 (2001).
American Samoa
High Court of American Samoa (Am. Samoa): Cite to Am. Samoa, Am. Samoa 2d, or Am. Samoa 3d.
American Samoa Reports	1900–date	Am. Samoa, Am. Samoa 2d, Am. Samoa 3d
Statutory compilation
American Samoa Code Annotated		Am. Samoa Code Ann. § x (<year>)
Administrative compilation
American Samoa Administrative Code		Am. Samoa Admin. Code § x (<year>)
Canal Zone
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (E.D. La.): This court has jurisdiction over litigation pending as of Apr. 1, 1982, in the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone. Cite to F. Supp.
Federal Supplement	1982–1983	F. Supp.
United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone (D.C.Z.): This court ceased to exist on Mar. 31, 1982. Cite to F. Supp.
Federal Supplement	1946–1982	F. Supp.
Statutory compilation
Panama Canal Code		C.Z. Code tit. x, § x (<year>)
Guam
Supreme Court of Guam (Guam): The Supreme Court of Guam uses a public domain format as shown here. A parallel citation may be included. Example: Santos v. Carney, 1997 Guam 4. Santos v. Carney, 1997 Guam 4, 1997 WL 460435.
District Court of Guam (D. Guam): Cite to F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, or F. Supp. 3d.
Federal Supplement	1951–date	F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d
Guam Reports	1955–1980	Guam
Statutory compilation
Guam Code Annotated		<tit. no.> Guam Code Ann. § x (<year>)
Session laws
Guam Session Laws		Guam Pub. L. <law no.> (<year>)
Administrative compilation
Administrative Rules & Regulations of the Government of Guam		<tit. no.> Guam Admin. R. & Regs. § x (<year>)
Navajo Nation
Supreme Court (Navajo), previously Court of Appeals (Navajo): Cite to Navajo Rptr.
Navajo Reporter	1969–date	Navajo Rptr.
District Court (Navajo D. Ct.): Cite to Navajo Rptr.
Navajo Reporter	1969–date	Navajo Rptr.
Statutory compilation
Navajo Nation Code Annotated (West)		Navajo Nation Code Ann. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Northern Mariana Islands
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has adopted a public domain citation format. Example: ABC Company vs. XYZ Company, 2001 MP 1 ¶ 10. See Northern Mariana Islands Supreme Court Style Manual (Jan. 1, 2017), http://cnmilaw.org/pdf/courtrules/R26.pdf.
Supreme Court (N. Mar. I.): Cite to N. Mar. I.
Northern Mariana Islands Reporter	1989–date	N. Mar. I.
District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, Trial and Appellate Divisions (D. N. Mar. I. and D. N. Mar. I. App. Div.), and Commonwealth Superior Court (N. Mar. I. Commw. Super. Ct.), previously Commonwealth Trial Court (N. Mar. I. Commw. Trial Ct.): Cite to F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, or F. Supp. 3d.
Federal Supplement	1979–date	F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Reporter	1979–date	N. Mar. I. Commw.
Statutory compilation
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Code (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.> N. Mar. I. Code § x (<year>)
Session laws
Northern Mariana Islands Session Laws		<year> N. Mar. I. Pub. L. <law no.>
Administrative compilation
Northern Mariana Islands Administrative Code		<tit. no.> N. Mar. I. Admin. Code § x (<year>)
Administrative register
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Register		<vol. no.> N. Mar. I. Reg. <page no.> (<month day, year>)
Oklahoma Native Americans
Tribal Courts, Courts of Indian Offenses (Appellate Division), Courts of Indian Appeals, and Courts of Indian Offenses: Cite to Okla. Trib.
Oklahoma Tribal Court Reports	1979–2009	Okla. Trib.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has adopted a public domain citation format for cases decided after December 31, 1997. The format is: Example: Yumac Home Furniture v. Caguas Lumber Yard, 2015 TSPR 148.
Supreme Court (P.R.): Cite to P.R. or P.R. Offic. Trans., if found there; else, cite to P.R. Dec. or P.R. Sent., in that order of preference.
Puerto Rico Reports	1899–1978	P.R.
Official Translations of the Opinions of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico	1978–date	P.R. Offic. Trans.
Decisiones de Puerto Rico	1899–date	P.R. Dec.
Sentencias del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico	1899–1902	P.R. Sent.
Circuit Court of Appeals (P.R. Cir.): Cite to T.C.A
Decisiones del Tribunal de Circuito de Apelaciones de Puerto Rico	1995–date	T.C.A.
Statutory compilation
Laws of Puerto Rico Annotated (LexisNexis)		P.R. Laws Ann. tit. x, § x (<year>)
Leyes de Puerto Rico Anotadas (LexisNexis)		P.R. Leyes An.tit. x, § x (<year>)
Session laws
Laws of Puerto Rico		<year> P.R. Laws <page no.>
Leyes de Puerto Rico (LexisNexis)		<year> P.R. Leyes <page no.>
Virgin Islands
All courts: Cite to V.I.
Virgin Islands Reports	1917–date	V.I.
Statutory compilation
Virgin Islands Code Annotated (LexisNexis)	1962–date	V.I. Code Ann. tit. x, § x-x <year>
Session laws: Cite to V.I. Sess. Laws.
Session Laws of the Virgin Islands		<year> V.I. Sess. Laws <page no.>
Virgin Islands Code Annotated Advance		<year>-<pamph. no.> V.I. Code Ann. Adv.
Legislative Service (LexisNexis)		Legis. Serv. <page no.> (LexisNexis)
Administrative compilation
Code of U.S. Virgin Islands Rules (LexisNexis)		<tit. no.>-<ch. no.> V.I. Code R. § x-x (LexisNexis <year>)
Administrative register
Virgin Islands Government Register (LexisNexis)		<iss. no.> V.I. Gov’t Reg. <page no.> (LexisNexis <month year>)

T4 Required Abbreviations for Services

T4.1 Service Publisher Names

Service Publisher Name	Abbreviation
Bloomberg Law	BL
Commerce Clearing House	CCH
Matthew Bender	MB
Research Institute of America	RIA

T4.2 Service Abbreviations

For each looseleaf service title, the appropriate abbreviation is followed by the name of the publisher.

Service Name	Abbreviation
Administrative Law Third Series	Admin. L.3d (BL)
Affirmative Action Compliance Manual for Federal Contractors	Aff. Action Compl. Man. (BL)
AIDS Law & Litigation Reporter	AIDS L. & Litig. Rep. (Univ. Pub. Group)
All States Tax Guide	All St. Tax Guide (RIA)
American Federal Tax Reports, Second Series	A.F.T.R.2d (RIA)
American Stock Exchange Guide	Am. Stock Ex. Guide (CCH)
Antitrust & Trade Regulation Report	Antitrust & Trade Reg. Rep. (BL)
Aviation Law Reporter	Av. L. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Aviation Cases	Av. Cas. (CCH)
BL’s Banking Report	Banking Rep. (BL)
Bankruptcy Court Decisions	Bankr. Ct. Dec. (LRP)
Bankruptcy Law Reports	Bankr. L. Rep. (CCH)
Benefits Review Board Service	Ben. Rev. Bd. Serv. (MB)
BioLaw	BioLaw (LexisNexis)
Blue Sky Law Reporter	Blue Sky L. Rep. (CCH)
Board of Contract Appeals Decisions—see Contract Appeals Decisions
Business Franchise Guide	Bus. Franchise Guide (CCH)
Canadian Commercial Law Guide	Can. Com. L. Guide (CCH)
Canadian Tax Reporter	Can. Tax Rep. (CCH)
Chemical Regulation Reporter	Chem. Reg. Rep. (BL)
Chicago Board Options Exchange Guide	Chicago Bd. Options Ex. Guide (CCH)
Collective Bargaining Negotiations & Contracts	Collective Bargaining Negot. & Cont. (BL)
Collier Bankruptcy Cases, Second Series	Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d (MB)
Commodity Futures Law Reporter	Comm. Fut. L. Rep. (CCH)
Communications Regulation	Commc’ns Reg. (BL)
Congressional Index	Cong. Index (CCH)
Consumer Credit Guide	Consumer Cred. Guide (CCH)
Consumer Product Safety Guide	Consumer Prod. Safety Guide (CCH)
Contract Appeals Decisions	Cont. App. Dec. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Board of Contract Appeals Decisions	B.C.A. (CCH)
Contracts Cases, Federal—see Government Contracts Reporter
Copyright Law Decisions	Copyright L. Dec. (CCH)
Copyright Law Reporter	Copyright L. Rep. (CCH)
Cost Accounting Standards Guide	Cost Accounting Stand. Guide (CCH)
The Criminal Law Reporter	Crim. L. Rep. (BL)
Daily Labor Report	Daily Lab. Rep. (BL)
Dominion Tax Cases	Dominion Tax Cas. (CCH)
EEOC Compliance Manual	EEOC Compl. Man. (BL)
EEOC Compliance Manual	EEOC Compl. Man. (CCH)
Employee Benefits Cases	Empl. Benefits Cas. (BL)
Employee Benefits Compliance Coordinator	Empl. Coordinator (RIA)
Employment Practices Guide ⇒ bound as Employment Practices Decisions ⇒ bound assee also Labor Law Reporter	Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH)
Employment Safety and Health Guide	Empl. Safety & Health Guide (CCH)
⇒ bound as Occupational Safety and Health Decisions	O.S.H. Dec. (CCH)
Employment Testing: Law & Policy Reporter	Empl. Testing (Univ. Pub. Am.)
Energy Management & Federal Energy Guidelines	Energy Mgmt. (CCH)
Environment Reporter	Env’t Rep. (BL)
⇒ bound as Environment Reporter Cases	Env’t Rep. Cas. (BL)
Environmental Law Reporter	Env’t L. Rep. (Env’t Law Inst.)
Exempt Organizations Reports	Exempt Org. Rep. (CCH)
Fair Employment Practice Cases—see Labor Relations Reporter
The Family Law Reporter	Fam. L. Rep. (BL)
Family Law Tax Guide	Fam. L. Tax Guide (CCH)
Federal Audit Guides	Fed. Audit Guide (CCH)
Federal Banking Law Reporter	Fed. Banking L. Rep. (CCH)
Federal Carriers Reports	Fed. Carr. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Federal Carriers Cases	Fed. Carr. Cas. (CCH)
Federal Contracts Report	Fed. Cont. Rep. (BL)
Federal Election Campaign Financing Guide	Fed. Election Camp. Fin. Guide (CCH)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Reporter	Fed. Energy Reg. Comm’n Rep. (CCH)
Federal Estate and Gift Tax Reporter	Fed. Est. & Gift Tax Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Standard Federal Tax Reporter	Stand. Fed. Tax Rep. (CCH)
Federal Excise Tax Reporter	Fed. Ex. Tax Rep. (CCH)
Federal Income, Gift and Estate Taxation	Fed. Inc. Gift & Est. Tax’n (MB)
Federal Rules Service, Second Series	Fed. R. Serv. 2d (West)
Federal Securities Law Reporter	Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH)
Federal Tax Coordinator Second	Fed. Tax Coordinator 2d (RIA)
Federal Tax Guide Reports	Fed. Tax Guide Rep. (CCH)
Fire & Casualty Cases—see Insurance Law Reports
Food Drug Cosmetic Law Reporter	Food Drug Cosm. L. Rep. (CCH)
Government Contracts Reporter	Gov’t Cont. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Contracts Cases, Federal	Cont. Cas. Fed. (CCH)
Government Employee Relations Report (ceased publication November 2017)	Gov’t Empl. Rel. Rep. (BL)
Housing & Development Reporter	Hous. & Dev. Rep. (RIA)
Human Resources Management OSHA Compliance Guide	OSHA Comp. Guide (CCH)
Immigration Law Service	Immigr. L. Serv. (West)
Insurance Law Reports	Ins. L. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Personal and Commercial Liability	Personal and Comm. Liab. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Life, Health & Accident Insurance Cases 2d	Life Health & Accid. Ins. Cas. 2d (CCH)
International Environment Reporter	Int’l Env’t Rep. (BL)
International Trade Reporter	Int’l Trade Rep. (BL)
IRS Positions	IRS Pos. (CCH)
Labor Arbitration Awards	Lab. Arb. Awards (CCH)
Labor Law Reporter	Lab. L. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Labor Cases	Lab. Cas. (CCH)
⇒ bound as NLRB Decisions	NLRB Dec. (CCH)
see also Employment Practices Guid
Labor Relations Reporter:	Lab. Rel. Rep. (BL)
⇒ bound as Fair Employment Practice Cases	Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BL)
⇒ bound as Labor Arbitration Reports	Lab. Arb. Rep. (BL)
⇒ bound as Labor Relations Reference Manual	L.R.R.M. (BL)
⇒ bound as Wage and Hour Cases	Wage & Hour Cas. (BL)
ABA/Bloomberg Law Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct	Laws. Man. on Prof. Conduct (ABA/BL)
Life, Health & Accident Insurance Cases—see Insurance Law Reports
Liquor Control Law Reporter	Liquor Cont. L. Rep. (CCH)
Media Law Reporter	Media L. Rep. (BL)
Medical Devices Reporter	Med. Devices Rep. (CCH)
Medicare and Medicaid Guide	Medicare & Medicaid Guide (CCH)
Mutual Funds Guide	Mut. Funds Guide (CCH)
National Reporter on Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility	Nat’l Rep. Legal Ethics (Univ. Pub. Am.)
New York Stock Exchange Guide	N.Y.S.E. Guide (CCH)
NLRB Decisions—see Labor Law Reporter
Nuclear Regulation Reporter	Nuclear Reg. Rep. (CCH)
Occupational Safety & Health Reporter	O.S.H. Rep. (BL)
⇒ bound as Occupational Safety & Health Cases	O.S.H. Cas. (BL)
OFCCP Federal Contract Compliance Manual	OFCCP Fed. Cont. Compl. Man. (CCH)
Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal	Pat. Trademark & Copyright J. (BL)
Pension & Benefits Reporter	Pens. & Ben. Rep. (BL)
Pension Plan Guide	Pens. Plan Guide (CCH)
Pension & Profit Sharing Second	Pens. & Profit Sharing 2d (RIA)
Product Safety & Liability Reporter	Prod. Safety & Liab. Rep. (BL)
Products Liability Reporter	Prod. Liab. Rep. (CCH)
Public Utilities Reports	Pub. Util. Rep. (PUR)
School Law Reporter	School L. Rep. (Educ. Law Ass’n.)
Search & Seizure Bulletin	Search & Seizure Bull. (Quinlan)
SEC Accounting Rules	SEC Accounting R. (CCH)
Secured Transactions Guide	Secured Transactions Guide (CCH)
Securities and Federal Corporate Law Report	Sec. & Fed. Corp. L. Rep. (West)
Securities Regulation & Law Report	Sec. Reg. & L. Rep. (BL)
Shipping Regulation	Shipping Reg. (BL)
Social Security Reporter	Soc. Sec. Rep. (CCH)
Standard Federal Tax Reporter	Stand. Fed. Tax Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as U.S. Tax Cases	U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH)
State and Local Tax Service	St. & Loc. Tax Serv. (RIA)
State and Local Taxes—see All States Tax Guide
State Inheritance, Estate, and Gift Tax Reporter	St. Inher., Est. & Gift Tax Rep. (CCH)
State Tax Guide	St. Tax Guide (CCH)
State Tax Reporter	St. Tax Rep. (CCH)
Tax Court Memorandum Decisions	T.C.M. (RIA)
⇒ bound as Tax Court Reporter	T.C.M. (CCH) [or (RIA)]
Tax Court Reported Decisions	Tax Ct. Rep. Dec. (RIA)
Tax Court Reports	Tax Ct. Rep. (CCH)
Trade Regulation Reporter	Trade Reg. Rep. (CCH)
⇒ bound as Trade Cases	Trade Cas. (CCH)
Unemployment Insurance Reporter	Unempl. Ins. Rep. (CCH)
Uniform Commercial Code Reporting Service Second	UCC Rep. Serv. (West)
Union Labor Report Newsletter	Union Lab. Rep. Newsl. (BL)
The United States Law Week (published by Bloomberg Law, which need not be indicated in the service citation)	U.S.L.W.
The United States Patents Quarterly bound in same name	U.S.P.Q. (BL), U.S.P.Q.2d (BL)
U.S. Tax Cases—see Federal Estate and Gift Tax Reporter and Standard Federal Tax Reporter
U.S. Tax Reporter	U.S. Tax Rep. (RIA)
U.S. Tax Treaties Reporter	U.S. Tax Treaties Rep. (CCH)
Utilities Law Reports	Util. L. Rep. (CCH)
Wage and Hour Cases—see Labor Relations Reporter

T5 Required Abbreviations for Legislative Documents

Words not on this list that are more than six letters may be abbreviated for clarity and if the chosen abbreviation is not ambiguous. All articles and prepositions should be removed from the abbreviated title if the remaining title content still provides clear document identification.

Legislative Document	Abbreviation
Annals	Annals
Annual	Ann.
Assembly[man, woman, member]	Assemb.
Bill	B.
Committee	Comm.
Concurrent	Con.
Conference	Conf.
Congress[ional]	Cong.
Debate	Deb.
Delegate	Del.
Document[s]	Doc.
Executive	Exec.
Federal	Fed.
House	H.
House of Delegates	H.D.
House of Representatives	H.R.
Joint	J.
Legislat[ion, ive]	Legis.
Legislature	Leg.
Miscellaneous	Misc.
Number	No.
Order	Order
Record	Rec.
Register	Reg.
Regular	Reg.
Report	Rep.
Representative	Rep.
Resolution	Res.
Senate	S.
Senator	Sen.
Service	Serv.
Session	Sess.
Special	Spec.
Subcommittee	Subcomm.

T6. Required Abbreviations for Treaty Sources

Editor’s note: Refer to Table T6 in the first edition of The Indigo Book for treaty abbreviations, checking the applicable jurisdiction(s) for updates since 2016.

T7. Required Abbreviations for Arbitral Reporters

Editor’s note: Refer to Table T7 in the first edition of The Indigo Book for abbreviations of arbitral reporters, checking the applicable jurisdiction(s) for updates since 2016.

T8. Required Abbreviations for Intergovernmental Organizations

Editor’s note: Refer to Table T8 in the first edition of The Indigo Book for abbreviations of intergovernmental organizations, checking the applicable jurisdiction(s) for updates since 2016.

T9. Required Abbreviations for Court Names

Court Name	Abbreviation
Administrative Court	Admin. Ct.
Admiralty [Court, Division]	Adm.
Aldermen’s Court	Alder. Ct.
Appeals Court	App. Ct.
Appellate Court	App. Ct.
Appellate Department	App. Dep’t
Appellate Division	App. Div.
Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals	ASBCA
Bankruptcy Appellate Panel	B.A.P.
Bankruptcy [Court, Judge]	Bankr.
Board of Contract Appeals	B.C.A.
Board of Immigration Appeals	B.I.A.
Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences	B.P.A.I.
Board of Tax Appeals	B.T.A.
Borough Court	<Name> Bor. Ct.
Business Court	Bus. Ct.
Central District	C.D.
Chancery [Court, Division]	Ch.
Children’s Court	Child. Ct.
Circuit Court (old federal)	C.C.
Circuit Court (state)	Cir. Ct.
Circuit Court of Appeals (federal)	Cir.
Circuit Court of Appeals (state)	Cir. Ct. App.
City Court	<Name> City Ct.
Civil Appeals	Civ. App.
Civil Court of Record	Civ. Ct. Rec.
Civil District Court	Civ. Dist. Ct.
Claims Court	Cl. Ct.
Commerce Court	Comm. Ct.
Commission	Comm’n
Common Pleas	C.P. <when appropriate, name county or similar subdivision>
Commonwealth Court	Commw. Ct.
Conciliation Court	Concil. Ct.
County Court	<Name> Cnty. Ct. [could also use Cty. Ct.]
County Judge’s Court	Cnty. J. Ct. [could also use Cty. J. Ct.]
Court	Ct.
Court of Appeal (English)	C.A.
Court of Appeals (federal)	Cir.
Court of Appeal[s] (state)	Ct. App.
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces	C.A.A.F.
Court of Civil Appeals	Civ. App.
Court of Claims	Ct. Cl.
Court of Common Pleas	Ct. Com. Pl.
Court of Criminal Appeals	Crim. App.
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals	C.C.P.A.
Court of Customs Appeals	Ct. Cust. App.
Court of Errors	Ct. Err.
Court of Errors and Appeals	Ct. Err. & App.
Court of Federal Claims	Fed. Cl.
Court of [General, Special] Sessions	Ct. <Gen. or Spec.> Sess.
Court of International Trade	Ct. Int’l Trade
Court of Military Appeals	C.M.A.
Court of Military Review	C.M.R.
Court of Special Appeals	Ct. Spec. App.
Court of Veterans Appeals	Ct. Vet. App.
Criminal Appeals	Crim. App.
Criminal District Court	Crim. Dist. Ct.
Customs Court	Cust. Ct.
District Court (federal)	D.
District Court (state)	Dist. Ct.
District Court of Appeal[s]	Dist. Ct. App.
Division	Div.
Domestic Relations Court	Dom. Rel. Ct.
Eastern District	E.D.
Emergency Court of Appeals	Emer. Ct. App.
Equity [Court, Division]	Eq.
Family Court	Fam. Ct.
High Court	High Ct.
Judicial District	Jud. Dist.
Judicial Division	Jud. Div.
Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation	J.P.M.L.
Justice of the Peace’s Court	J.P. Ct.
Juvenile Court	Juv. Ct.
Land Court	Land Ct.
Law Court	Law Ct.
Law Division	Law Div.
Magistrate Division	Magis. Div.
Magistrate’s Court	Magis. Ct.
Middle District	M.D.
Municipal Court	<Name> Mun. Ct.
Northern District	N.D.
Orphans’ Court	Orphans’ Ct.
Parish Court	<Name> Parish Ct.
Patent Trial and Appeal Board	P.T.A.B.
Police Justice’s Court	Police J. Ct.
Prerogative Court	Prerog. Ct.
Probate Court	Prob. Ct.
Public Utilities Commission	P.U.C.
Real Estate Commission	Real Est. Comm’n
Recorder’s Court	Rec’s Ct.
Southern District	S.D.
Special Court Regional Rail Reorganization Act	Reg’l Rail Reorg. Ct.
Superior Court	Super. Ct.
Supreme Court (federal)	U.S.
Supreme Court (other)	Sup. Ct.
Supreme Court, Appellate Division	App. Div.
Supreme Court, Appellate Term	App. Term
Supreme Court of Errors	Sup. Ct. Err.
Supreme Judicial Court	Sup. Jud. Ct.
Surrogate’s Court	Sur. Ct.
Tax Appeal Court	Tax App. Ct.
Tax Court	T.C.
Teen Court	Teen Ct.
Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals	Temp. Emer. Ct. App.
Territorial, Territory	Terr.
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board	T.T.A.B.
Traffic Court	Traffic Ct.
Tribal Court	<Name> Tribal Ct.
Tribunal	Trib.
Water Court	Water Ct.
Western District	W.D.
Workmen’s Compensation Division	Workmen’s Comp. Div.
Youth Court	Youth Ct.

T10. Required Abbreviations for Titles of Judges and Officials

Title	Abbreviation
Administrative Law Judge	A.L.J.
Arbitrator	Arb.
Assembly[man, woman, member]	Assemb.
Attorney General	Att’y Gen.
Baron	B.
Chancellor	C.
Chief Baron	C.B.
Chief Judge, Chief Justice	C.J.
Commissioner	Comm’r
Delegate	Del.
Honorable	Hon.
Judge, Justice	J.
Judges, Justices	JJ.
Lord Justice	L.J.
Magistrate	Mag.
Master of the Rolls	M.R.
Mediator	Med.
Referee	Ref.
Representative	Rep.
Senator	Sen.
Vice Chancellor	V.C.

T11. Required Abbreviations for Case Names in Citations, Periodical Titles, and Institutional Authors (Common Words)

This table collects the abbreviations for various common words found in case names and periodical titles, as well as author names for institutional authors. Note that Table T15 provides abbreviations for specific institutional names in periodical titles. When in doubt, the specifics in Table T15 control the periodical title, over the general common-word abbreviations found here.

Using the common-word abbreviations in this table, here are examples of each:

Sample case name: Smith v. Detroit Fed’n of Teachers, Local 231

Sample periodical title: Cardozo Arts & Ent. L.J.

Sample institutional author: Fed. Jud. Ctr.

In case names and periodical titles, words can be pluralized by adding “s” to the abbreviation (Dep’ts, Exchs.) Possessive words are indicated with ’s after the abbreviation when singular (Mfr.’s ) and with ’ after the abbreviation when plural (Mfrs.’). Other words of eight letters or more may be abbreviated to save significant space, if the abbreviation is clear.

In case names, well-known acronyms can be abbreviated as such per Rule 11.2.19. Abbreviations already in periodical titles should be maintained as such (whether well-known or not) such as “NALP Bulletin” (which is the title of that publication).

In periodical titles, omit the words “a,” “at,” “in,” “of,” and “the.” If a title contains a single word after one of these short omitted words, do not abbreviate the next word. For example, “Journal of Construction” would become “J. Construction” (despite the abbreviation “Const.” in this table.) Omit words after a colon in a periodical title. Periodical titles have additional institution-specific and geographical abbreviations shown in Table T12 and T15.

Common Word in a Case Name, Periodical Title, Institutional Author Name	Abbreviation
Academic, Academy	Acad.
Accountant, Accounting, Accountancy	Acct.
Administrative, Administration	Admin.
Administrator, Administratrix	Adm’r, Adm’x
Advertising	Advert.
Advocate, Advocacy	Advoc.
Affair	Aff.
Africa, African	Afr.
Agriculture, Agricultural	Agric.
Alliance	All.
Alternative	Alt.
Amendment	Amend.
America, American	Am.
and	&
Annual	Ann.
Appellate	App.
Arbitration, Arbitrator	Arb.
Artificial Intelligence	A.I.
Associate	Assoc.
Association	Ass’n
Atlantic	Atl.
Attorney	Att’y
Authority	Auth.
Automobile, Automotive	Auto.
Avenue	Ave.
Bankruptcy	Bankr.
Behavior, Behavioral	Behav.
Board	Bd.
Broadcaster, Broadcasting	Broad.
Brotherhood	Bhd.
Brothers	Bros.
Building	Bldg.
Business, Businesses	Bus.
Capital	Cap.
Casualty, Casualties	Cas.
Catholic	Cath.
Center, Centre	Ctr.
Central	Cent.
Chemical	Chem.
Children	Child.
Chronicle	Chron.
Circuit	Cir.
Coalition	Coal.
College	Coll.
Commentary	Comment.
Commission	Comm’n
Commissioner	Comm’r
Committee	Comm.
Communication	Commc’n
Community	Cmty.
Company	Co.
Comparative	Compar.
Compensation	Comp.
Computer, Computing, Computational	Comput.
Condominium	Condo.
Conference	Conf.
Congress, Congressional	Cong.
Consolidated	Consol.
Construction	Constr.
Contemporary	Contemp.
Continental	Cont’l
Contract	Cont.
Conveyance, Conveyancer	Conv.
Cooperation, Cooperative	Coop.
Corporate, Corporation	Corp.
Corrections, Correctional	Corr.
Cosmetic	Cosm.
Counselor, Counselors, Counselor’s, Counseling	Couns.
County (Note: the traditional and, we submit, recommended abbreviation is Cty.)	Cnty.
Defend, Defender, Defense, Defensive	Def.
Delinquent, Delinquency	Delinq.
Department	Dep’t
Detention	Det.
Developer, Development	Dev.
Digest	Dig.
Digital	Digit.
Diplomacy (Optional: may also use with variations Diplomat and Diplomatic.)	Dipl.
Director	Dir.
Discount	Disc.
Dispute	Disp.
Distributor, Distributing, Distribution	Distrib.
District	Dist.
Division	Div.
Doctor	Dr.
East, Eastern	E.
Economic, Economical, Economics, Economy	Econ.
Editor, Editorial	Ed.
Educate, Education, Educating, Educational, Educator	Educ.
Electric, Electrical, Electricity, Electronic	Elec.
Employee, Employer, Employment	Emp.
Enforcement	Enf’t
Engineer	Eng’r
Engineering	Eng’g
English	Eng.
Enterprise	Enter.
Entertainment	Ent.
Environment, Environmental	Env’t
Equality	Equal.
Equipment	Equip.
Estate	Est.
Examiner	Exam’r
Exchange	Exch.
Executive	Exec.
Executor, Executrix	Ex’[r, x]
Exploration, Exploratory	Expl.
Exporter, Exportation	Exp.
Faculty	Fac.
Federal	Fed.
Federation	Fed’n
Fidelity	Fid.
Finance, Financial, Financing	Fin.
Fortnightly	Fort.
Forum	F.
Foundation	Found.
General	Gen.
Global	Glob.
Government	Gov’t
Group	Grp.
Guaranty, Guarantor	Guar.
Hispanic	Hisp.
Historical, History	Hist.
Hospital	Hosp.
Hospitality	Hosp.
Housing	Hous.
Human	Hum.
Import, Importer, Importation	Imp.
Incorporated	Inc.
Indemnity	Indem.
Independence, Independent	Indep.
Industry, Industries, Industrial	Indus.
Inequality	Ineq.
Information	Info.
Institute, Institution	Inst.
Insurance	Ins.
Intellectual	Intell.
Intelligence (But use A.I. for Artificial Intelligence.)	Intel.
Interdisciplinary	Interdisc.
Interest	Int.
International	Int’l
Investment, Investor	Inv.
Journal, Journals	J.
Judicial	Jud.
Juridicial	Jurid.
Jurisprudence	Juris.
Justice	Just.
Juvenile	Juv.
Labor	Lab.
Laboratory (Note: the traditional and, we submit, recommended abbreviation is Lab.)	Lab’y Lab.
Law (unless it is the the first word, in which case do not abbreviate)	L.
Lawyer	Law.
Legislate, Legislation, Legislative	Legis.
Liability	Liab.
Library, Librarian	Libr.
Limited	Ltd.
Litigation	Litig.
Local	Loc.
Machine, Machinery	Mach.
Magazine	Mag.
Maintenance	Maint.
Management	Mgmt.
Manufacturer	Mfr.
Manufacturing	Mfg.
Maritime	Mar.
Market	Mkt.
Marketing	Mktg.
Matrimonial	Matrim.
Mechanic, Mechanical	Mech.
Medical, Medicinal, Medicine	Med.
Memorial	Mem’l
Merchant, Merchandise, Merchandising	Merch.
Metropolitan	Metro.
Military	Mil.
Mineral	Min.
Modern	Mod.
Mortgage	Mortg.
Municipal, Municipality	Mun.
Mutual	Mut.
National	Nat’l
Nationality	Nat’y
Natural	Nat.
Negligence	Negl.
Negotiation, Negotiator	Negot.
Newsletter	Newsl.
North, Northern	N.
Northeast, Northeastern	Ne.
Northwest, Northwestern	Nw.
Number	No.
Office, Official	Off.
Opinion	Op.
Order	Ord.
Organization, Organizing	Org.
Pacific	Pac.
Parish	Par.
Partnership	P’ship
Patent	Pat.
Person, Personal, Personnel	Pers.
Perspective	Persp.
Pharmaceutic, Pharmaceutical	Pharm.
Philosophical, Philosophy	Phil.
Planning	Plan.
Policy	Pol’y
Politic, Political, Politics	Pol.
Practical, Practice, Practitioner	Prac.
Preserve, Preservation	Pres.
Privacy, Private	Priv.
Probate, Probation	Prob.
Problems	Probs.
Proceedings, Procedure	Proc.
Product, Production	Prod.
Profession, Professional (Note: Consider maintaining the more traditional “Prof.” or “Prof’l” rather than “Pro.” in context.) See Table T15, which prioritizes “Prof.” for specific periodical titles.)	Pro.
Property	Prop.
Protection	Prot.
Psychological, Psychologist, Psychology	Psych.
Public	Pub.
Publication	Publ’n
Publishing	Publ’g
Quarterly	Q.
Railroad	R.R.
Railway	Ry.
Record	Rec.
Referee	Ref.
Refining, Refinement	Refin.
Regional	Reg’l
Register	Reg.
Regulation, Regulator, Regulatory	Regul.
Rehabilitation, Rehabilitative	Rehab.
Relation	Rel.
Report, Reporter (Optional: disregard and do not abbreviate Reporter, as traditionally it has not been abbreviated. See, e.g., Reporters Comm. for Freedom of the Press)	Rep.
Reproduction, Reproductive	Reprod.
Research	Rsch.
Reservation, Reserve	Rsrv.
Resolution	Resol.
Resource, Resources	Res.
Responsibility	Resp.
Restaurant	Rest.
Retirement	Ret.
Review, Revista	Rev.
Rights	Rts.
Road	Rd.
Savings	Sav.
School	Sch.
Science, Scientific	Sci.
Scottish	Scot.
Secretary	Sec’y
Security, Securities	Sec.
Sentencing	Sent’g
Service	Serv.
Shareholder, Stockholder	S’holder
Social	Soc.
Society	Soc’y
Sociological, Sociology	Socio.
Solicitor	Solic.
Solution	Sol.
South, Southern	S.
Southeast, Southeastern	Se.
Southwest, Southwestern	Sw.
Statistic, Statistics, Statistical	Stat.
Steamship, Steamships	S.S.
Street	St.
Studies	Stud.
Subcommittee	Subcomm.
Supreme Court	Sup. Ct.
Surety	Sur.
System, Systems	Sys.
Taxation	Tax’n
Teacher	Tchr.
Technical, Technique, Technological, Technology	Tech.
Telecommunication	Telecomm.
Telephone, Telegraph	Tel.
Temporary	Temp.
Township	Twp.
Transcontinental	Transcon.
Transnational	Transnat’l
Transport, Transportation	Transp.
Tribune	Trib.
Trust, Trustee	Tr.
Turnpike	Tpk.
Uniform	Unif.
United States	U.S.
University	Univ. (case names)
University	U. (periodical titles)
Urban	Urb.
Utility	Util.
Village	Vill.
Week	Wk.
Weekly	Wkly.
West, Western	W.
Yearbook, Year Book	Y.B.

T12. Required Abbreviations for Geographical Terms

T12.1. U.S. States, Cities and Territories

Abbreviations for states, cities, and territories are provided below. Note that abbreviations for city names may also be composed from state name abbreviations. For example, “Kansas City” should be shortened to “Kan. City.”

Place	Abbreviation
States
Alabama	Ala.
Alaska	Alaska
Arizona	Ariz.
Arkansas	Ark.
California	Cal.
Colorado	Colo.
Connecticut	Conn.
Delaware	Del.
Florida	Fla.
Georgia	Ga.
Hawaii	Haw.
Idaho	Idaho
Illinois	Ill.
Indiana	Ind.
Iowa	Iowa
Kansas	Kan.
Kentucky	Ky.
Louisiana	La.
Maine	Me.
Maryland	Md.
Massachusetts	Mass.
Michigan	Mich.
Minnesota	Minn.
Mississippi	Miss.
Missouri	Mo.
Montana	Mont.
Nebraska	Neb.
Nevada	Nev.
New Hampshire	N.H.
New Jersey	N.J.
New Mexico	N.M.
New York	N.Y.
North Carolina	N.C.
North Dakota	N.D.
Ohio	Ohio
Oklahoma	Okla.
Oregon	Or.
Pennsylvania	Pa.
Rhode Island	R.I.
South Carolina	S.C.
South Dakota	S.D.
Tennessee	Tenn.
Texas	Tex.
Utah	Utah
Vermont	Vt.
Virginia	Va.
Washington	Wash.
West Virginia	W. Va.
Wisconsin	Wis.
Wyoming	Wyo.
Cities
Baltimore	Balt.
Boston	Bos.
Chicago	Chi.
Dallas	Dall.
District of Columbia	D.C.
Houston	Hous.
Los Angeles	L.A.
Miami	Mia.
New York	N.Y.C.
Philadelphia	Phila.
Phoenix	Phx.
San Francisco	S.F.
Territories
American Samoa	Am. Sam.
Guam	Guam
Northern Mariana Islands	N. Mar. I.
Puerto Rico	P.R.
Virgin Islands	V.I.

T12.2 Australian States and Canadian Provinces and Territories

Place	Abbreviation
Australia
Australian Capital Territory	Austl. Cap. Terr.
New South Wales	N.S.W.
Northern Territory	N. Terr.
Queensland	Queensl.
South Australia	S. Austl.
Tasmania	Tas.
Victoria	Vict.
Western Australia	W. Austl.
Canada
Alberta	Alta.
British Columbia	B.C.
Manitoba	Man.
New Brunswick	N.B.
Newfoundland & Labrador	Nfld.
Northwest Territories	N.W.T.
Nova Scotia	N.S.
Nunavut	Nun.
Ontario	Ont.
Prince Edward Island	P.E.I.
Quebec	Que.
Saskatchewan	Sask.
Yukon	Yukon

T12.3 Countries and Regions

Place	Abbreviation
Afghanistan	Afg.
Africa	Afr.
Albania	Alb.
Algeria	Alg.
Andorra	Andorra
Angola	Angl.
Anguilla	Anguilla
Antarctica	Antarctica
Antigua & Barbuda	Ant. & Barb.
Argentina	Arg.
Armenia	Arm.
Asia	Asia
Australia	Austl.
Austria	Austria
Azerbaijan	Azer.
Bahamas	Bah.
Bahrain	Bahr.
Bangladesh	Bangl.
Barbados	Barb.
Belarus	Belr.
Belgium	Belg.
Belize	Belize
Benin	Benin
Bermuda	Berm.
Bhutan	Bhutan
Bolivia	Bol.
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosn. & Herz.
Botswana	Bots.
Brazil	Braz.
Brunei	Brunei
Bulgaria	Bulg.
Burkina Faso	Burk. Faso
Burundi	Burundi
Cambodia	Cambodia
Cameroon	Cameroon
Canada	Can.
Cape Verde	Cape Verde
Cayman Islands	Cayman Is.
Central African Republic	Cent. Afr. Rep.
Chad	Chad
Chile	Chile
China, People’s Republic of	China
Colombia	Colom.
Comoros	Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Dem. Rep. Congo
Congo, Republic of the	Congo
Costa Rica	Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire	Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia	Croat.
Cuba	Cuba
Cyprus	Cyprus
Czech Republic	Czech
Denmark	Den.
Djibouti	Djib.
Dominica	Dominica
Dominican Republic	Dom. Rep.
Ecuador	Ecuador
Egypt	Egypt
El Salvador	El Sal.
England	Eng.
Equatorial Guinea	Eq. Guinea
Eritrea	Eri.
Estonia	Est.
Ethiopia	Eth.
Europe	Eur.
Falkland Islands	Falkland Is.
Fiji	Fiji
Finland	Fin.
France	Fr.
Gabon	Gabon
Gambia	Gam.
Georgia	Geor.
Germany	Ger.
Ghana	Ghana
Gibraltar	Gib.
Great Britain	Gr. Brit.
Greece	Greece
Greenland	Green.
Grenada	Gren.
Guadeloupe	Guad.
Guatemala	Guat.
Guinea	Guinea
Guinea-Bissau	Guinea-Bissau
Guyana	Guy.
Haiti	Haiti
Honduras	Hond.
Hong Kong	H.K.
Hungary	Hung.
Iceland	Ice.
India	India
Indonesia	Indon.
Iran	Iran
Iraq	Iraq
Ireland	Ir.
Israel	Isr.
Italy	It.
Jamaica	Jam.
Japan	Japan
Jordan	Jordan
Kazakhstan	Kaz.
Kenya	Kenya
Kiribati	Kiribati
Korea, North	N. Kor.
Korea, South	S. Kor.
Kosovo	Kos.
Kuwait	Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan	Kyrg.
Laos	Laos
Latvia	Lat.
Lebanon	Leb.
Lesotho	Lesotho
Liberia	Liber.
Libya	Libya
Liechtenstein	Liech.
Lithuania	Lith.
Luxembourg	Lux.
Macau	Mac.
Macedonia	Maced.
Madagascar	Madag.
Malawi	Malawi
Malaysia	Malay.
Maldives	Maldives
Mali	Mali
Malta	Malta
Marshall Islands	Marsh. Is.
Martinique	Mart.
Mauritania	Mauritania
Mauritius	Mauritius
Mexico	Mex.
Micronesia	Micr.
Moldova	Mold.
Monaco	Monaco
Mongolia	Mong.
Montenegro	Montenegro
Montserrat	Montserrat
Morocco	Morocco
Mozambique	Mozam.
Myanmar	Myan.
Namibia	Namib.
Nauru	Nauru
Nepal	Nepal
Netherlands	Neth.
New Zealand	N.Z.
Nicaragua	Nicar.
Niger	Niger
Nigeria	Nigeria
North America	N. Am.
Northern Ireland	N. Ir.
Norway	Nor.
Oman	Oman
Pakistan	Pak.
Palau	Palau
Panama	Pan.
Papua New Guinea	Papua N.G.
Paraguay	Para.
Peru	Peru
Philippines	Phil.
Pitcairn Island	Pitcairn Is.
Poland	Pol.
Portugal	Port.
Qatar	Qatar
Réunion	Réunion
Romania	Rom.
Russia	Russ.
Rwanda	Rwanda
Saint Helena	St. Helena
Saint Kitts & Nevis	St. Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia	St. Lucia
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	St. Vincent
Samoa	Samoa
San Marino	San Marino
São Tomé & Príncipe	São Tomé & Príncipe
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia
Scotland	Scot.
Senegal	Sen.
Serbia	Serb.
Seychelles	Sey.
Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone
Singapore	Sing.
Slovakia	Slovk.
Slovenia	Slovn.
Solomon Islands	Solom. Is.
Somalia	Som.
South Africa	S. Afr.
South America	S. Am.
Spain	Spain
Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka
Sudan	Sudan
Suriname	Surin.
Swaziland	Swaz.
Sweden	Swed.
Switzerland	Switz.
Syria	Syria
Taiwan	Taiwan
Tajikistan	Taj.
Tanzania	Tanz.
Thailand	Thai.
Timor-Leste (East Timor)	Timor-Leste
Togo	Togo
Tonga	Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago	Trin. & Tobago
Tunisia	Tunis.
Turkey	Turk.
Turkmenistan	Turkm.
Turks & Caicos Islands	Turks & Caicos Is.
Tuvalu	Tuvalu
Uganda	Uganda
Ukraine	Ukr.
United Arab Emirates	U.A.E.
United Kingdom	U.K.
United States of America	U.S.
Uruguay	Uru.
Uzbekistan	Uzb.
Vanuatu	Vanuatu
Vatican City	Vatican
Venezuela	Venez.
Vietnam	Viet.
Virgin Islands, British	Virgin Is.
Wales	Wales
Yemen	Yemen
Zambia	Zam.
Zimbabwe	Zim.

T13. Required Abbreviations for Document Subdivisions

Document Subdivision	Abbreviation
addendum	add.
amendment	amend.
annotation	annot.
appendi[x, ces]	app., apps.
article	art.
bibliography	bibliog.
book	bk.
chapter	ch.
clause	cl.
column	col.
comment[ary]	cmt.
decision	dec.
department	dept.
division	div.
example	ex.
figure	fig.
folio	fol.
footnote[s] in cross-references	note, notes
footnote[s] in other references²	n., nn.
historical note[s]³	hist. n., hist. nn.
hypothetical	hypo.
illustration[s]	illus.
introduction	intro.
line[s]	l., ll.
number	no.
page[s] in cross-references	p., pp.
page[s] in other references	[at]
paragraph[s]	¶, ¶¶
paragraph[s] if symbol appears in source	para., paras.
part	pt.
preamble	pmbl.
principle	princ.
publication	pub.
rule	r.
schedule	sched.
section[s] in amending act	sec., secs.
section[s] in all other contexts	§, §§
series, serial	ser.
subdivision	subdiv.
subsection	subsec.
supplement	supp.
table	tbl.
title	tit.
volume	vol.

T14. Required Abbreviations for Explanatory Phrases

If a phrase is followed a case name as the direct object, such as reversing <x>, the comma should be omitted.

Abbreviated Phrase
acq.
acq. in result
aff’d,
aff’d by an equally divided court,
aff’d mem.,
aff’d on other grounds,
aff’d on reh’g,
aff’g
amended by
appeal denied,
appeal dismissed,
appeal docketed,
appeal filed,
argued,
cert. denied,
cert. dismissed,
cert. granted,
certifying questions to
denying cert. to
dismissing appeal from
enforced,
enforcing
invalidated by
mandamus denied,
modified,
modifying
nonacq.
overruled by
perm. app. denied,
perm. app. granted,
petition for cert. filed,
prob. Juris. noted,
reh’g granted [denied],
rev’d,
rev’d on other grounds,
rev’d per curiam,
rev’g
vacated,
vacating as moot
withdrawn,

T15. Required Abbreviations for Institutional Names in Periodical Titles

These abbreviations are required, but may be replaced by a periodical’s own preferred abbreviated title.

Related tables are Table T11 with common words and Table T12 with geographical abbreviations.

Institution Name	Abbreviation
Adelaide	Adel.
Air Force	A.F.
Albany	Alb.
American Bar Association (ABA)	A.B.A.
American Intellectual Property Law Association	AIPLA
American Law Institute	A.L.I.
American Medical Association (see also Journal of the American Medical Association, infra)	AMA
American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers	ASCAP
American University	Am. U.
Boston College	B.C.
Boston University	B.U.
Brigham Young University	BYU
Brooklyn	Brook.
Buffalo	Buff.
California (California Law Review only)	Calif.
Capital	Cap.
Chapman	Chap.
Chartered Life Underwriters	C.L.U.
Cincinnati	Cin.
City University of New York	CUNY
Cleveland	Clev.
Columbia	Colum.
Cumberland	Cumb.
Denver	Denv.
Detroit	Det.
Dickinson	Dick.
Duquesne	Duq.
East, Eastern	E.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service	F.B.I.S.
George Mason	Geo. Mason
George Washington	Geo. Wash.
Georgetown	Geo.
Gonzaga	Gonz.
Harvard	Harv.
Howard	How.
John Marshall	J. Marshall
Journal of the American Medical Association (see also American Medical Association, supra)	JAMA
Judge Advocate General, Judge Advocate General’s	JAG
Las Vegas	L.V.
Lawyer's Reports Annotated	L.R.A.
Loyola	Loy.
Marquette	Marq.
Melbourne	Melb.
Memphis	Mem.
New England	New Eng.
New York University, New York University School of Law	N.Y.U.
North, Northern	N.
Northeast, Northeastern	Ne.
Northwest, Northwestern	Nw.
Pepperdine	Pepp.
Pittsburgh	Pitt.
Richmond	Rich.
Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute	Rocky Mtn. Min. L. Inst.
Saint Louis	St. Louis
San Fernando Valley	San Fern. V.
Southeast, Southeastern	Se.
South, Southern	S.
Southern Methodist University	SMU
Southwest, Southwestern	Sw.
Stanford	Stan.
Temple	Temp.
Thomas Jefferson	T. Jefferson
Thomas M. Cooley	T.M. Cooley
Thurgood Marshall	T. Marshall
Toledo	Tol.
Tulane	Tul.
Universidad de Puerto Rico	U. P.R.
University of California	U.C.
University of California - Los Angeles	UCLA
University of Missouri Kansas City	UMKC
University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law	UDC/DCSL
University of West Los Angeles	UWLA
Valparaiso	Val.
Vanderbilt	Vand.
Villanova	Vill.
Washington & Lee	Wash. & Lee
West, Western	W.
William & Mary	Wm. & Mary
William Mitchell	Wm. Mitchell

T16. Required Abbreviations for Publishing Terms

Publishing Term	Abbreviation
abridge[d, ment]	abr.
annotated	ann.
anonymous	anon.
circa	c.
compil[ation, ed]	comp.
copyright	copy.
draft	drft.
edit[ion, or]	ed.
manuscript	ms.
mimeograph	mimeo.
new series	n.s.
no date	n.d.
no place	n.p.
no publisher	n. pub.
offprint	offprt.
old series	o.s.
permanent	perm.
photoduplicated reprint	photo. reprint
printing	prtg.
replacement	repl.
reprint	reprt.
revis[ed, ion]	rev.
special	spec.
temporary	temp.
tentative	tent.
translat[ion, or]	trans.
unabridged	unabr.
volume	vol.

T17. Required Abbreviations for Month Names

Month Name	Abbreviation
January	Jan.
February	Feb.
March	Mar.
April	Apr.
May	May
June	June
July	July
August	Aug.
September	Sept.
October	Oct.
November	Nov.
December	Dec.

T18. Abbreviations for Litigation Documents

This table provides abbreviations that may be used (or modified to fit local rules or custom). This table also notates words that should not be abbreviated when used in the title of a litigation document. Add “s” to make a plural.

Word	Abbreviation
Admission	Admis.
Affidavit	Aff.
Affirm	Affirm
Amended	Am.
Answer	Answer
Appeal	Appeal
Appellant	Appellant
Appellee	Appellee
Appendix	App.
Application	Appl.
Argument	Arg.
Attachment	Attach.
Attorney	Att’y
Brief	Br.
Certiorari	Cert.
Civil	Civ.
Compel	Compel
Counterclaim	Countercl.
Court	Ct.
Cross-claim	Cross-cl.
Declaration	Decl.
Defendant, Defendant’s	Def., Def.’s
Defendants, Defendants’	Defs., Defs.’
Demurrer	Dem.
Deny, Denying	Den.
Deposition	Dep.
Discovery	Disc.
Dismiss	Dismiss
Docket	Docket
Evidence	Evid.
Exhibit	Ex.
Grant	Grant
Hearing	Hr’g
Injunction	Inj.
Instruction	Instr.
Interrogatory	Interrog.
Joint Appendix	J.A.
Judgment	J.
Limine	Lim.
Memorandum	Mem.
Minute	Min.
Motion	Mot.
Objection	Obj.
Opinion	Op.
Opposition	Opp’n
Order	Order
Petition	Pet.
Petitioner, Petitioner’s	Pet’r, Pet’r’s
Petitioners, Petitioners’	Pet’rs, Pet’rs’
Plaintiff, Plaintiff’s	Pl., Pl.’s
Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs’	Pls., Pls.’
Points and Authorities	P. & A.
Preliminary	Prelim.
Produce, Production	Produc.
Quash	Quash
Reconsideration	Recons.
Record	R.
Rehearing	Reh’g
Reply	Reply
Report and Recommendation	R. & R.
Reporter	Rep.
Request	Req.
Respondent	Resp’t
Response	Resp.
Stay	Stay
Subpoena	Subpoena
Summary	Summ.
Supplement, Supplemental	Supp.
Suppress	Suppress
Temporary Restraining Order	TRO
Testimony	Test.
Transcript	Tr.
Verified Statement	V.S.

T19 Cross-References for Academic Legal Documents

As noted in Rule R1, The Indigo Book provides citation formats for standard legal documents. This table provides examples of converting these citations to the general format used for academic legal documents. Academic legal documents generally place citation in footnotes. Standard legal documents more often use in-text citations but may be formatted with footnotes; either way, the citation format for standard legal documents is recommended. This chart is intended as a helpful illustration of key differences. A full treatment of citations in academic legal documents is beyond the scope of The Indigo Book.

T20 Table of Citation Guides

Attempting to comprehensively capture every single rule and practice of U.S. and international legal citation is simply not possible. We attempt in this table to direct the reader to a series of other citation guides that are readily available online, providing further guidance.

T20.1 General Legal Citation Guides (Online)

Dionne Anthon, The Bluebook Uncovered: A Practical Guide to Mastering Legal Citation (Twenty-First Edition of The Bluebook) (2020).
Cardiff University, Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations (2011).
University of Chicago Law Review, The Maroonbook: The University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation (2016).
Peter W. Martin, Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (online ed. 2020).
Washington University in St. Louis Global Studies Law Review, International Citation Manual.

T20.2 Country-Specific Citation Guides

New Zealand Law Foundation, New Zealand Law Style Guide, 2nd Edition, (2011).
Faulty of Law, University of Oxford, Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (2006).
SILC, Standard Indian Legal Citation (Working Draft).
University of Melbourne, Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed. 2018).

I. CODICIL

Editor’s Note (2021): The Codicil will be updated with additional information about the Second Edition. This is the Codicil from the First Edition.

The Indigo Book: A Manual of Legal Citation is distributed as a single document coded with the HTML 5 and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) standards.

Each rule and section of the file have a unique ID, making them individually addressable. Examples are:

Each Rule has an ID starting with the letter R and then the rule number. For example, Rule 1.1 can be addressed by adding #R1.1 to the URL.
Each Section has an ID starting with the letter S and then the rule letter. For example, the Codicil can be addressed by adding #SK to the URL.
Each Table has an ID starting with the letter T and then the table number. For example, Table T1.1 can be addressed by adding #T1.1 to the URL.

The header of the file calls two open source Google fonts. If those fonts are not available, the CSS style sheet falls back to Georgia, which is present on most computers, and then to the generic serif font. The fonts we use are:

For the cover, Alice, which was designed by Ksenia Erulevich and inspired by Lewis Carrol's novel.
For the body of the document, Libre Baskerville, based on the 1941 American Type Founder's Baskerville, but optimized for web use.

To clearly distinguish our work from other citation manuals, we have forgone the use of the color Royal Blue in favor of Indigo, in solidarity with the ryots of Bengal who were oppressed by the insatiable British demand for blue and the profits that flowed from it, leading to the Nilbridroha (Indigo revolt) and the beginning of the road that led to independence.

The CSS has been coded with support for printing on US Letter size paper. We use Prince XML to convert the HTML document to PDF format.

It is also possible to dynamically change the styles to perform tasks such as making all text in italics “pop” by turning it crimson or back to normal.

To create a file for use in Microsoft Word, an easy method is to comment out the calls to Google fonts, upload the document to Google Docs, and then downloading it in Word format.

J. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Second Edition of The Indigo Book: A Manual of Legal Citation (2021) was edited by Professor Jennifer Murphy Romig. Professor Romig was assisted by Emory University School of Law students Annabelle Bichler, Nancy Jin, and Akhil Morissetti, as well as Daniel Kaltman. Adding up cumulative thanks through the 2023 updated version of the Second Edition, Professor Romig would also like to thank Mindy Goldstein, Mark T. Gray, David Krech, Mike Lissner, Amber Madole, Olivia Marbutt, Jack Metzler, Maryland Appellate Court Judge Doug Nazarian, Peter Orlowicz, Sue Payne, Robin Pederson, Blake Reid, Joan Rocklin, Jody Sanders, Heather Simmons, Hollee Temple, Allison Thornton, and David Ziff for valuable comments and feedback, as well as Christopher Sprigman for his insightful feedback, wise counsel, and steadfast support of The Indigo Book. Professor Romig thanks Jeannette Livingston for exploring the ins and outs of Microsoft Word to assist this project. Professor Romig is grateful to Ben Chapman and Zach Stevenson for technical advice, and of course Frank Bennett and Carl Malamud. Professor Romig is also grateful to her daughter Laura Romig for proofreading assistance and helpful feedback.

Type of Citation	Standard Legal Document	Academic Legal Document
Federal constitution	U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 8.	U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 8.
State constitution	Ga. Const. art VIII, § IV.	Ga. Const. art VIII, § IV.
Federal statute	42 U.S.C. § 1983.	42 U.S.C. § 1983.
Session laws	FASTER Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-11, 135 Stat. 262 (2021).	FASTER Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-11, 135 Stat. 262 (2021).
Bill (not enacted)	H.R. 3054, 117th Cong. (2021).	H.R. 3054, 117th Cong. (2021).
Hearing	Protecting Federal Judiciary Employees from Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Other Workplace Misconduct: Hearing Before the H. Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, 116th Cong. (2020), https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/house-event/110505.	Protecting Federal Judiciary Employees from Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Other Workplace Misconduct: Hearing Before the H. Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, 116th Cong. (2020), https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/house-event/110505.
Report	H.R. Rep. 117-27, at 5 (2021). S. Rep. No. 99-146, at 363, as reprinted in 1986 U.S.C.C.A.N. 42, 412.	H.R. Rep. 117-27, at 5 (2021). S. Rep. No. 99-146, at 363, as reprinted in 1986 U.S.C.C.A.N. 42, 412.
State statute	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-90-107 (2021).	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-90-107 (2021).
State statute with topic convention	N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 349 (McKinney 2021).	N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 349 (McKinney 2021).
Rules, restatements, model rules, and uniform acts	Fed. R. App. P. 32(a). Restatement (Third) of Agency § 2.01 (Am. L. Inst. 2006). Unif. Trade Secrets Act §1(4) (Unif. L. Comm’n 1985) (as amended).	Fed. R. App. P. 32(a). Restatement (Third) of Agency § 2.01 (Am. L. Inst. 2006). Unif. Trade Secrets Act §1(4) (Unif. L. Comm’n 1985) (as amended).
Federal and state cases	South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 138 S. Ct. 2080 (2018). Pincheira v. Allstate Ins. Co., 190 P.3d 322 (N.M. 2008).	If used in the main text, the case name is italicized. If cited in a footnote, the case name is in regular roman type (not italicized): South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 138 S. Ct. 2080 (2018). Pincheira v. Allstate Ins. Co., 190 P.3d 322 (N.M. 2008).
Pending or unreported case	Facteau v. Clinton Cnty. Bd. of Elections, No. 533784, 2021 WL 3684296, at *2 (N.Y. App. Div. Aug. 19, 2021) (per curiam).	If used in the main text, the case name is italicized. If cited in a footnote: Facteau v. Clinton Cnty. Bd. of Elections, No. 533784, 2021 WL 3684296, at *2 (N.Y. App. Div. Aug. 19, 2021) (per curiam).
Pending case (petition for certiorari filed)	Sportswear, Inc. v. Savannah Coll. of Art & Design, 983 F.3d 1273 (11th Cir. 2020), petition for cert. filed 89 U.S.L.W. 3344 (U.S. March 31, 2021) (No. 20-1391). Or: Sportswear, Inc. v. Savannah Coll. of Art & Design, 983 F.3d 1273 (11th Cir. 2020), petition for cert. filed (No. 20-1391), https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/sportswear-inc-v-savannah-college-of-art-and-design-inc-2/.	If used in the main text, the case name is italicized. If cited in a footnote: Sportswear, Inc. v. Savannah Coll. of Art & Design, 983 F.3d 1273 (11th Cir. 2020), petition for cert. filed, 89 U.S.L.W. 3344 (U.S. March 31, 2021) (No. 20-1391).
State case with public-domain parallel citation and year embedded in citation	State v. Blagg, 2021-NCSC-66, ¶ 15, 858 S.E.2d 268, 274.	If used in the main text, the case name is italicized. If cited in a footnote: State v. Blagg, 2021-NCSC-66, ¶ 15, 858 S.E.2d 268, 274.
Book	Anjali Vats, The Color of Creatorship: Intellectual Property, Race, and the Making of Americans (2020).	Anjali Vats, The Color of Creatorship: Intellectual Property, Race, and the Making of Americans (2020). Note that editor, translator, and edition information is in regular caps, not small caps like the author and title.
Chapter in a collected work	Sung Hui Kim, The Ethics of In-House Practice, in Lawyers in Practice: Ethical Decision Making in Context (Leslie C. Levin & Lynn Mather eds., 2012).	Sung Hui Kim, The Ethics of In-House Practice, in Lawyers in Practice: Ethical Decision Making in Context (Leslie C. Levin & Lynn Mather eds., 2012).
Journal article (with consecutive pagination, as common with law reviews)	Elizabeth G. Porter & Kathryn A. Watts, Visual Rulemaking, 91 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1183 (2016).	Elizabeth G. Porter & Kathryn A. Watts, Visual Rulemaking, 91 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1183 (2016).
Journal or magazine article (nonconsecutive pages)	Elizabeth Kolbert, The Lost Canyon, New Yorker, Aug. 16, 2021, at 40, 42.	Elizabeth Kolbert, The Lost Canyon, New Yorker, Aug. 16, 2021, at 40, 42.
Newspaper	Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Rules for Cheerleader Punished for Vulgar Snapchat Message, N.Y. Times, June 23, 2021, at A1.	Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Rules for Cheerleader Punished for Vulgar Snapchat Message, N.Y. Times, June 23, 2021, at A1.
Internet	Farhad Manjoo, Why You Should Never, Ever Use Two Spaces After a Period, Slate (Jan. 11, 2011, 6:00 AM), https://slate.com/technology/2011/01/two-spaces-after-a-period-why-you-should-never-ever-do-it.html	Farhad Manjoo, Why You Should Never, Ever Use Two Spaces After a Period, Slate (Jan. 11, 2011, 6:00 AM), https://slate.com/technology/2011/01/two-spaces-after-a-period-why-you-should-never-ever-do-it.html

The Indigo Book

Second Edition

(with 2023 updates)

Manifest

Status

Publisher and License

Cover Art

Statement of Nonaffiliation

Attribution

Formats

Table of Contents

Introduction