Jul 19, 2019 the precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. While the manual addresses citation for various sources, below is a brief explanation of the exceptions and expansions that pertain to case citations. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows. If there are more than one parties, list only the first party. These tables give the various abbreviations for the u. The first nine rules in the bluebook apply to all of the other rules and they are all about style. In textual sentences, abbreviate widely know acronyms. Realize that the bluebook tries to cover every contingency. Signals are important because they indicate how a cited authority relates to the text. Judge posner, the blue book, and arkansas citation resources judge richard posner, of the u. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon. Bluebook citation for llm students bluebook citation for.
Blue pages this guide covers the bluebooks white pages, which provide citation rules for academic papers. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. The bluebook has two different systems for abbreviating. University of chicago manual of legal citation the maroon book sources for abbreviations. In the beginning, youll probably be tabbing rules 6, 10 and 12 and table 1 and the beginning of the abbreviations section, tables 6 through 12. The rules in the whitepages are usually abbreviated using the letter r. Short forms for cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown. The bluebook recommends, for example, shortening any procedural phrases to abbreviations such as in re or ex parte, as well as using any commonlyunderstood abbreviations to shorten the names of the parties, e. Given that numerous researchers and writers continue to use documents from prestatehood, the hawaiian jurisdiction needed revision. Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material. It directs that some 144 words that may appear in a business, nonprofit, or public entitys name be abbreviated and prescribes the abbreviation to be used for each.
Popular names for cases for example, the central park jogger case may be used when desired. It is a composite of those contained in the bluebook and the alwd guide to. Cite to the current official code or its supplement or an unofficial code or its supplement. Blue book definition of blue book by merriamwebster.
Court and jurisdiction see appendices 1 and 4 for court abbreviations year. Refers to title 27, chapter 20, section 030 of the revised code of washington. Problems, cases, and materials 2006 when you are citing to a work that has been published by the same publisher more than once, you should cite the edition and the year it was published in. In general, one should abbreviate to the degree possible without losing necessary information. Name of the case underlined or italicized and abbreviated according to rule. This guide presents bluebook exercises and instructions that are. Apr 01, 2020 bluebook rule tells you to follow r15. In the second citation example, the alderson case lists the official illinois. If the language in the current code including its supplement differs materially from the language in the session laws and the relevant title has not been enacted into positive law, cite the session laws. For example, here is how you would cite a federal regulation that prescribes rules for pets in national parks in the united states. Blue book definition is a register especially of socially prominent persons. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook. Also, the statutory compilation by west did not include ann.
Though his article criticizes many aspects of the blue book its size, for example, he is particularly critical of its system of abbreviation. Keep in mind the typeface differences between academic documents and non academic legal documents. Use a period at the end of a complete sentence that is a statement. Note that the use of abbreviations in a case name depends on whether the citation. Instruction that parentheticals about a case should immediately follow its citation. The bluebook is an example of absolute efficiency in the formulation and expression of the rules of legal citation. Related guides princes dictionary of legal abbreviations. However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to cite in addition to cases and statutes. The heavy abbreviation system all words in case names, other than the first word of either partys name, is abbreviated if it is listed in table 6 on pages 30203 of the bluebook rule 10. The light abbreviation system is used for case names appearing in the grammatical part of textual sentences and in complete sentences in footnotes. Presented by the academic achievement program october. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing.
Bt2 jurisdictionspecific citation rules and style guides. The bluebook also has citation rules for legal memoranda and other practiceoriented materials the blue pages, which students in lrwa2. Bluebook is a style of referencing which is the most used legal citation system in the united states, used at the majority of us law schools. Set out below is a table of words and their abbreviations with links to examples. Therefore, you will not be able to ignore the whitepages just because youre not on a journal. Times new roman font alongside with oneinch margins. This differs from the rule prohibiting the abbreviation of united states as part of a case name, discussed here in this guide. Rule 2 selection from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. The purpose of this guide is to introduce the bluebook and basic. Apr 01, 2020 that qualifier mostly is there because the rules in the bluepages often refer to the whitepages for the full rule. The style manual used by the new york state law reporting. The table below provides examples of different internet citation forms. Presented by the academic achievement program october 25, 2011.
According to the legal studies program, you should use 12 pt. Introductory signals appear at the beginning of citation sentences. Please take a look at cornell laws short form citation examples to help. Where the bluepages and local court rules are silent regarding the citation of a particular document, you may use the other rules in the bluebook, referred to as the whitepages, to supplement the bluepages. A pinpoint citation directly follows the title, which designates the specific pages on which the cited material appears. Judge posner, the blue book, and arkansas citation resources. A reference guide for attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals, and law students. The title of the book, also in small caps, should follow. For example, if you are citing a secondary authority with a title, consult rule 8 capitalization, to know whether you need to capitalize certain words or not. Bluebook rule 10 covers how cases should be cited in legal documents. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 academic format. This relation can be supportive, comparative, or contradictory.
An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes, 11th edition book. The shortened form of the case name is usually the name of the first nongovernmental party for example, krom for people v krom and albouyeh for albouyeh v county of suffolk. For example, connecticuts official code is the general statutes of connecticut, and the unofficial code is connecticut general statutes annotated. Study 208 bluebook rules 1221 flashcards on studyblue. But see is used for authority that, while not directly contradicting the main proposition, nonetheless clearly opposes it. Formulate an acceptable abbreviated short form one partys name, no name. However, the general spacing rules found in both bluebook rule. For example, if you need to cite a legal record, the bluebook case citation generator takes the information you have on the legal record name of the document, abbreviated according to bluepages abbreviation table, page number where the fact you need is in the document, date of the document and turns it into the correct format for your paper. The english rules section on hyphens in the blue book and our website discusses compound words. This book is a reference guide that, believe it or not, will be just about the only book you take from law school into your practice as a lawyer. The bluebook and alwd citation manual the bluebook takes an aggressive approach to further party name reduction. When a case is referenced in a separate citation clause or sentence, follow all rules below, use ordinary roman type, and abbreviate any word contained in t.
The back inside cover is a quick way to find examples of. Subsequent references to a case in running text or within parentheses may use a shortened case name. The bluebook also has citation rules for legal memoranda and other practiceoriented materials the blue pages, which students in lrwa2 use for their memo assignments. The bluebooks abbreviation for the code of federal regulations section symbol and specific section cited. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. Unfortunately, theres no simple trick to memorizing all the rules but over time youll get a feel for what looks right.
On january 17, 1893, queen liliuokalani abdicated her thrown, ending the monarchy. Thus far, this guide has described how to cite cases in long form, i. Adds instruction on how to cite to seriatim opinions of the u. Youll probably be using no more than 20% of the rules contained in the book. Any word over eight letters may also be abbreviated if substantial space is saved and the result is clear. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover. Citing legislative related materials according to the bluebook, nineteenth edition statutes rule 12 1. A compound word is formed when two or more words are combined to form a new word such as flowerpot. For books, the authors name should appear as it does on the title page of the book, in small caps followed by a comma. Any punctuation within the citation, speeches and publications, titles of articles, case names, explanatory phrases, latin legal phrases, and introductory signals have to be underlined or italicized. If you are writing a brief or memo, look at the blue pages, rule b10 or apply the citation rules of the jurisdiction.
Case name abbreviations table 6 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. Follow the rules of the bluebook andor alwd for formulating a case name in a citation. The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. The bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law.
Books, reports, treatises bluebook legal citation tarlton. That qualifier mostly is there because the rules in the bluepages often refer to the whitepages for the full rule. Clarifies that the per curiam parenthetical must be used for all opinions so designated by the court under the previous rule, such a parenthetical could have been optional. Citing legislative related materials statutes rule 12 1.