Legal Citations
- Sam Tipton
- Anonymous
Legal Typists Only
What is a Legal Citation?
A legal citation is a concise, specialized way of directing the reader to a specific page among many "reporters", or compilations of legal decisions. SpeakWrite uses the most common style of citations, called Bluebook citations. Follow whatever format is dictated by the client, but when no format is dictated, use Bluebook style.
What is NOT a Legal Citation?
The following are not legal citations, and are acceptable for general typists to transcribe:
- Case names by themselves (Jones v. Smith)
- Name of a legal authority, with or without a section number (Labor Code § 5710; California Code of Regulations)
- A simple reference to a volume or page number (Deposition at Page 45)
Example Citation and What it Means
Jones v. Smith, 123 F.3d 456, 789 (1999)
- Case Name: Jones v. Smith (See the section on Case Names for formatting details).
- Volume number: The first set of digits (123) is the volume number of the reporter where the decision is found.
- Reporter Series: The second set of numbers/letters is the reporter series itself. In this case, F.3d means Federal Reporter, third series. (Often dictated as "Fed third" or "Fed 3d").
- Page numbers: The next numbers are the page numbers where the decision starts (456), and the page where the quotation/reference is found (789).
- Date of decision: Bluebook calls for the year at the end of the citation, while California calls for it immediately after the case name.
Formatting a Citation: Important Things to Keep in Mind
Spacing
Remove spaces between adjacent, single capital letters (F.2d), but include spaces for longer abbreviations. A capital letter/number combination (2d) is considered to be a single letter for this purpose.
| Add a Space (Longer Abbreviations) | No Space (Single capital letters) |
|---|---|
| Cal. Rptr. | P.3d |
| Cal. App. | A.2d |
| L. Ed. 2d | S.Ct |
| So. 2d | F.2d |
Case Reporters and Common Abbreviations
Case reporters are published in series or editions. First cite the reporter (example: Pacific = P.) plus a period, no space, and then the numeric notation (second = 2d). Use the following table as a reference, and note whether a space has been used or not.
| Common Reporters | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Federal (Federal second) | F. (F.2d) |
| Pacific (Pacific second) | P. (P.2d) |
| California (sometimes dictated as Cal) | Cal. (Cal. 2d) |
| Lawyers edition (second) | L. Ed. (L. Ed. 2d) |
| Federal Supplement | F. Supp |
| U.S. Supreme Court | S.Ct. |
| Ninth Circuit | 9th Cir. |
Abbreviated citations
After a legal citation is provided in full in a document, it can be referred to in a shorter form later on in the document.
Example: Subsequent references to Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 450 (1996) may just be noted as Miranda, 384 U.S. at 450, or simply 384 U.S. at 450 or Id. at 450.
Id. is a term that means "in the same place" and it should always be italicized.
For a printable guide with a bit more information on legal citations, click below:
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