 |
Harvard Law Review Association (Ed.). (2020). The bluebook: A uniform system of citation (Twenty-first edition). Harvard Law Review Association. Call #: Ref. KF245 .B58 2010 The Bluebook is the most widely recognized citation manual for American law. It is used for legal documents cited in legal memoranda, court documents, and law journals. This guide will help you use The Bluebook for your citations, and librarians can help you as well. If you're dealing mostly with cases, litigation documents and laws, the cheat sheet on the inside cover will be very useful. |
Here is an example of a legal case citation broken down by its parts:
429 U.S. 97
429 = the volume number
U.S. = the name of the reporter (U.S. which stands for United States Reports) and its series number if applicable
97 = the page on which the case begins
| Abbreviation | Full Title | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | United States Reports (Official Edition) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| S. Ct. | Supreme Court Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| L. Ed., L. Ed. 2d | Supreme Court Reports Lawyer's Ed. (Lexis) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| F., F.2d, F.3d | Federal Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Court of Appeals |
| F. App'x | Federal Appendix (West Pub.) |
U.S. Court of Appeals - unpublished decisions |
| F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d | Federal Supplement (West Pub.) | U.S. District Courts |
| Fed. Cl. | Federal Claims Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Court of Federal Claims |
| B.R. | Bankruptcy Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Bankruptcy Courts |
| T.R. | Tax Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Tax Courts |
| M.J. | Military Justice Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; Military Service Courts of Criminal Appeals |
| F.R.D. | Federal Rules Decisions (West Pub.) | U.S. District Courts - interpretations of federal procedural rules |
| Vet. App. | Veterans Appeals Reporter (West Pub.) | U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims |
| Abbreviation | Title | Coverage, or Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| A., A.2d | Atlantic Reporter | Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, District of Columbia |
| Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d | California Reporter | California Courts |
| N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d | New York Supplement | New York Courts |
| N.E., N.E.2d | North Eastern Reporter | Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio |
| N.W., N.W.2d | North Western Reporter | Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
| P., P.2d, P.3d | Pacific Reporter | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
| S.E., S.E.2d | South Eastern Reporter | Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia |
| So., So.2d | Southern Reporter | Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi |
| S.W., S.W.2d, S.W. 3d | South Western Reporter | Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas |