State courts bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. If you are writing a brief or memo, look at the blue pages, rule b10 or apply the citation rules of the jurisdiction. These regional reporters contain appellate case law from all 50 states plus. The bluebook also tells you which reporter to cite, if the courts.
State abbreviations bb alwd ib state abbreviations 1. Cases bluebook legal citation tarlton law library at tarlton law. Bluebook table t1 provides guidance on how to properly abbreviate reporter names. A parallel citation to a state court case has the following five elements. West publishes seven 7 regional reporters as part of the national reporter system. Bluebook rule 10 covers how cases should be cited in legal documents. The bluebook actually says that the unofficial regional reporters should be cited to, over the official state reporters, given the option. For quick reference, you may consult the examples of abbreviations material in tarltons finding a case guide. For example, under the entries for arizona you have. Bluebook case guide bluebook citation generator legalease.
When abbreviating courts and reporters, you may notice some funny spacing. State courts bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. All of the information you need to properly abbreviate state courts and state court reporters is in table t. Abbreviations to regional reporters legal abbreviations. Outlines the basic structure of legal citations, including cases law. However, courts and professors often tell you to cite to the official reporter instead.
The abbreviation for the court is in the parenthetical after the name of the court. These regional reporters contain appellate case law from all 50 states plus the district of columbia. Here are two examples of bluebook state court case citations, under both circumstances. List the state reporter before the regional reporter. Name of the case underlined or italicized and abbreviated according to. The abbreviation for the state reporter nebraska court of appeals reports in which their opinions are printed is. The supreme court of the united states is the only federal court to officially report its cases. Bluebook table 1 all of the information you need to properly abbreviate state courts and state court reporters is in table 1 of the bluebook.
Cases bluebook legal citation tarlton law library at. The bluebook requires citation only to the official report supreme court opinions are also published in three unofficial reporters. Cite to the regional reporter if the case is not available in a regional reporter, cite to official state reporter. Include a space between abbreviations containing two or more letters. For most courts, the reporter the bluebook tells you to cite is part of wests national reporter system, an unofficial set of reporters that covers all federal and state courts. Only include the state abbreviation if the name of the. Only used when citing the same authority multiple times in a row. West also publishes the california reporter and the new york supplement, which contain appellate case law from california and new york. A citation to a case in a regional reporter has the following six elements. Listed below are some guidelines to help you choose the proper abbreviation. United states reports is the official supreme court reporter because it is listed first among the four choices. Essential bluebook rules law school writing center law school.
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