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Citation Guide: Legal Citation

Citation help for popular styles such APA, MLA, and Chicago, as well as some of the less common styles such as ACS and CSE.

Legal Citations

The BLUEBOOK Quick Style Guide

Most legal materials are cited using Bluebook style, which is the standard legal citation style used in all disciplines (see Bluebook style in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 2015).

These are examples from The University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center: 

Court Cases

In-Text Citation

Use the name of the case in italics and the year of the decision.

Ex: (Meritor Sav. Bank v. Vinson, 1986)

References

On the references page, include the name of each party in italics, the reporter volume number, abbreviated reporter name, first page of case, and date.

Ex: Meritor Sav. Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57, 60 (1986).

Constitutions

In Text Citation

Include constitution, amendment, and section.

Ex: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.

References

On references page, include the abbreviation on constitution cited, the abbreviation for amendment, the number of amendment cited, and section.

Ex: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.

Statutes

In Text Citation

When citing statutes, include the statute and section only.

Ex: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act §§  9601-9675

References

On the references page, include the U.S.C. number, the abbreviation of the code cited, the span of sections containing statute, and the date of code edition cited.

Ex: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. §§9601-9675 (2000).

Regulations

In-text citation

When citing regulations, include the name of the regulation and the year.

Ex:(FCC Broadcast Radio Services, 1999).

References

On the references page, use the name of the regulation, the C.F.R. title number, the specific section cited, and the date of the code edition cited.

Ex: FCC Broadcast Radio Services, 47 C.F.R. § 73.609 (1999).

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