Bluebook citation to format legal documents and cases. Supreme court have their own citation system in place, but most universities adhere to bluebook citation systems. Statutes bluebook citations libguides at william s. This chapter will address case citations first and. Bluebooking california statutes bluebooking and legal. There are a number of copies of the blue book, a uniform system of citation, 20th ed. The bluepages, twentieth edition, is a howto guide providing easytocomprehend instruction for the everyday citation needs of firstyear law students, summer associates, law clerks, practicing lawyers, and other legal professionals. A publication that establishes the correct form of case citations or of references to a legal authority showing where information can be found. A uniform system of citation 20th edition, presents a guide for lawyers for constructing citations, covering the format of citations from a variety of legal sources, including court cases. For citations to an authority which is part of a larger, consecutively paginated source, such as case reporters or periodicals, include the page number on which the authority being cited begins. The indigo book is a free, creative commonsdedicated implementation of the bluebooks uniform system of citation. A uniform system of citation, prescribes the most commonly used legal citation system for law professionals in the united states.
Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Oh, but the lawyers and law students who write and organize the. One of the keys to citing statutes properly is knowing where to find the. If you are unwilling to master this skill or need some help at the beginning we have something to offer. Minnesota courts do not require parallel citations, and they have expressed no preference as to whether to use bluebook or alwd manual citation format. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Citation federal administrative law research guides at. The citational footnote style is an alternative to the traditional placement of citations, using footnotes only for the citational content that would otherwise appear in the body of an opinion if either the. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united. While writing for collegelevel courses, it is essential that students cite and credit their sources in order to maintain a professional voice throughout their writing. The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. Use citation sentences to cite sources and authorities that. Uniform maine citations law school publications fall 952017 uniform maine citations, 2017 2018 edition superseded michael d. Provides an overview of the basic rules of legal citation in both the bluebook.
Consult the blue pages, rule b12, if you are writing a brief or memo. Blue book legal definition of blue book legal dictionary. The indigo book offers a couple of important advantages to users, compared with the bluebook. A logical question to ask is, what is blue book format. A guide to citations, style, and judicial opinion writing for guidance on the style of documents filed with the supreme. It is important to note that many state courts and the u. A uniform system of citation, 20th edition 9788925598376. In case the book is being published by more than one publishing house, write the. If you have any comments on the writing manual, please contact the reporters office at. B58 2015 covers administrative and executive materials. As with previous editions, this 20192020 edition is designed to be used in conjunction with the bluebook. Tabs for the tables would have been a helpful addition like the color coding of the blue and white pages. Blue pages are mostly used in briefs, motions, memoranda, and opinions. A guide to citations, style, and judicial opinion writing for guidance on the style of documents filed with the supreme court.
In addition to our free online citation generator, our service. University of maine school of law university of maine. As you can see in table 1, the united states code annotated is published by west and the united states code service is published by lexisnexis, so citations to statutes in each of these. It purports to lay out how citations are done, but the examples are so spread out and disconnected, it can only be used as a reference. The sample paper is part of the argument of a brief very similar to a paper or memo in bluebook format used in legal practice, which differs from academic papers. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession. Citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation rule 16. A uniform system of citation, 20th edition 20th edition. You may also want to buy a copy of the book mastering the blue book or something similar to help you understand how to use this book. For california statutes, the bluebook allows citations to deerings california codes annotated available in print and on lexis or wests annotated california codes available in print and on westlaw.
A uniform system of citation 10th edition created date. 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. A uniform system of citation is where you can spend hours delving into details and norms and still have no clear idea of how to cite a certain source. Uniform maine citations university of maine school of law. A volume that explains the organization of a state.
Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. As has been true of all editions released since 2010, it is also indexed to the the bluebook. The bluebook offers a uniform system of citation which is standardized for most law essays in college. See the guides and tutorials section below for information on the structure. For more than eighty years, the bluebook has provided authoritative guidance to legal citation for american students, professionals, and scholars. Free in two different ways that are equally important. The bluebook of legal citation is a must have for every law student because lawyers are crazy and have to have a crazy way of citing everything. The style manual used by the new york state law reporting. 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.
Use this free bluebook website citation generator to save time. One citation sentence may contain multiple citations separated by semicolons. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. The indigo book was compiled by a team of students at the new york. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. Introduction to bluebooking bluebook basics libguides. However, it is safe to assume that when subsequent editions of the. A uniform system of citation, 2015 edition the bluebook.
A uniform system of citation and alwd guide to legal citation. They suggest that footnotes are meant only for non. A uniform system of citation, 20th edition the bluebook. When addressing citation, the manual states that the bluebook 19 th ed. Citations are to the 20th edition of the bluebook, a uniform system of citation rule 12 statutes p. Pointbypoint, it is linked to the free citation guide, the indigo book.
Just remember that between the 18th and 20th edition, a lot has changed. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique. Citations to cases and other authorities in all documents filed in the courts must be in the style established by either the california style manual or the bluebook. Bluebook format is a uniform system of citation, commonly used in the legal documents or.