Legal citation, the bluebook, and the anxiety of authority. If you cited a book in the earlier footnote, you put the authors name in small caps. Use a shortened title if you cite to multiple sources from the same author. Basic layout bluebook 101 library guides at university. And if any other authority of any type falls in the middle of the id. Order of authorities bluebook legal citation tarlton law. If youre pretty confident the case or other authority is cited the same way throughout the brief, you. Aldisert, supra note 1, at 26364 recommending the use of parentheticals with citations in. In actuality the application of the rule can be quite simple. Department of commerce, national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa department of commerce, patent and trademark office uspto department of education. This is the final step required to allow authority supreme herbicide as a. Authorities that support or contradict entire sentences in text are given in separate citation sentences that begin with capital letter and end with period. When dealing with the same type of authority, such as several statutes or cases, the relevant characteristic is the identity of the issuing authority, typically a government or legal body such as a legislature or court.
After the first full citation to the authority, place the word hereinafter and your chosen short form in brackets. Guide to cite using bluebook citation method with examples. A pinpoint citation directly follows the title, which designates the specific pages on which the cited material appears. For books, the authors name should appear as it does on the title page of the book, in small caps. Raquel ortiz roger williams university law library 2. Supra refers to material that has already appeared in the document and it has its own rule at 4. The title of the book, also in small caps, should follow. The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source.
Always check the blue pages in the back of the bluebook table 1 to ensure that the. Infra refers to material that appears later in the document, but never for books see r15. Use supra if not referring to the immediately preceding authority. These neighsayers have tried to convince me that supra, rather than being super, is just plain silly. Consult the third column in the chart below for the type of authority being referenced.
Bluebook citation for llm students search this group search. Because you will often cite a case and other legal materials multiple times in a document, the bluebook has established a short form for use in subsequent citations. Rees, the bluebook in the new millenniumsame old story. However, it is an essential book that every lawyer should know how to use. Use supra when youve used the full citation before, but its not right next to the sentence you will provide the citation for now.
Supreme court decisions are to be cited in the following manner. Tables and abbreviations blue pages in back index white pages in back you must cite to supporting authority when. Explanatory parentheticals can pack a persuasive punch. But see cited authority clearly supports a proposition contrary to the main proposition order of authorities, 1. Short form citations basic legal citation cornell university. If youre referring to a previous article posner, supra note 5, at 256 then yes. Bluebook citation for llm students bluebook citation for. If youre referring to a part of the document itself see supra, notes 510 and accompanying text then no. Once a full citation to a case, statute, regulation, book, or journal article has been provided, subsequent references within the same discussion can be less complete. The earlier full citation falls in the same general discussion. Supra latin for above is an academic and legal citation signal used when a writer desires to refer a reader to an earliercited authority. It helps to have a trusted pricing source on your side. Bluecolored practitioners notes for court documents and legal memoranda bluecolored tables pages.
Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. And, judging from some of the requests i receive from my newsletter readers, its also one of the most intimidating. That said, there is another bluetip fivefootnote rule. Thus far, this guide has described how to cite cases in long form, i. The government has the authority to cancel the privileged given to the tourists who purchased the travel pass if they violates certain rules. See task force, supra note 4, at 590 the bluebook sic is the overwhelming source of authority for legal citation form in academe. See if the text sentences proposition is not directly stated in the authority but obviously follows from it, e. Kelley blue book new and used car price values, expert.
Case citations should appear in the body of the text. Additional signals may be found under bluebook rule 1. Sep 14, 2011 supra actually stands for two propositions. Words and phrases introducing related authority, such as. Use the short form of the legal citation once the authority has been cited in full. Basic layout bluebook 101 library guides at university of.
Legal writers use citation signals to tell readers how the citations support or do not support their. Weird bluebook rules bluebook citations libguides at william s. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook. The following information regarding the bluebook citation format is an adapted. Citing to secondary authority treatises rule 15 give correct volume if more than one, full name of the author in the same way the author cites him or herself, name of treatise underlined, section, page, correct edition of the treatise in a parenthetical. 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. Supra and hereinafter have special rules for their use. For books, the authors name should appear as it does on the title page of the book, in small caps followed by a comma. Bluebook table t1 is in blue example with pinpoint page short form example when. Bluebooking for court documents guide to legal writing. Volume, paragraph, section, or page numbers may be added to refer to specific material.
The car has existed in various generations since 1978 when the first generation sup. Once you have provided one full citation to an authority, you may use short form citations in later citations to the same authority, so long as. Even so, errors in citation form are rampant is todays legal writing. One common situation is where your piece cites two works by the same author. Apr 01, 2020 after the first full citation to the authority, place the word hereinafter and your chosen short form in brackets. If youre pretty confident the case or other authority is cited the same way throughout the brief, you can click mark. Effective january 1, 2008, however, california rule of court, rule 1. And not just in lawyers writing judicial opinions contain errors, too.
The disposition was withdrawn by the original deciding authority. The indigo book was compiled by a team of students at the new york university school of law, working under the direction of professor christopher jon sprigman. Jul 19, 2019 however, it is an essential book that every lawyer should know how to use. Sloppy or inaccurate form suggests in attention to detail or ignorance of the correct form. Anxiety of authority michael bacchust introduction at the end of the school year, law schools across the country hold. Most of the bluebook, however, is irrelevant for many people who create legal documents. Immediately after supra is the word note in ordinary type, followed by the number of the footnote in which the authority was first cited in full. For example, an author wanting to refer to a source in his or her third footnote would cite. In law, a citation or introductory signal is a set of phrases or words used to clarify the authority or significance of a legal citation as it relates to a proposition. But, according to some, my admiration may be misplaced. Supra, on the other hand, can be used to refer to some previously cited authorities. Use authors last name, followed by a comma and the word supra.
Evaluation of that authority depends on proper citation form. In the same footnote, or in the immediately preceding footnote when that footnote references only one authority. Parenthetical explanations, however, inform a court why the authority is cited and how the authority supports the proposition, thus bolstering the persuasive punch of an advocacy piece. It is fun to drive, as written by kelley blue book and top gear praised its smooth and responsive handling. I will double check once im at work and have my bluebook, but i believe it depends on which supra youre using. Supra can also be used to provide a short form citation to an earlier but not. Signals are used in front of citations to alert the reader as to how that citation is being used. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks uniform system of citation in their writing. It will be clear to the reader from the short form what is being referenced. 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. Presented by the academic achievement program october. Preceding citation may only contain one authority but ignore authority in explanatory parentheticals. The same applies to words such as act, circuit, or court. Always use a signal unless 1 the cited authority directly states the proposition in the text.
The indigo book isnt the same as the bluebook, but it does implement the same uniform system of citation that the bluebook does. While it is true that some law schools and many courts do not. Authorities that support or contradict entire sentences in text are given in separate citation sentences. Weird bluebook rules bluebook citations libguides at. Legal citation format for use in pol 2151, 2161, and 2731. In these cases, you do not need to include the subsequent history in your citation. Oct 24, 2018 the disposition was withdrawn by the original deciding authority. Table of authorities the ultimate guide 3 comments its the one legal professionspecific feature in microsoft word. Table of authorities the ultimate guide legal office guru.
You can ignore more than twothirds of the book if all you need to do is to cite cases and statutes which covers most of the first year of law school, and a lot of litigation. Always use a signal unless 1 the cited authority directly. Welcome to the bluebook, the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states. The kelley blue book price advisor shows you what you should pay for a new or used car based on what others have paid in your area. I wholeheartedly disagree and will continue to carry a torch for my dear supra and look upon its versatility with awe. Italicized text generally reflects text copied from the bluebook. You make an assertion about the law you quote directly. California style manual for many years, the california style manual has served as the official guide for styling citations to legal materials in documents filed with state courts in california.
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. Do not use a signal with a citation when you have directly borrowed someone elses. Presented by the academic achievement program october 25, 2011. Often, you want to indicate that a particular case or authority either is quoted in or. You have to do the same thing in the supra footnote.
The general rule for prior history is that you do not include it in your citations. The supra has been one of the favorites of many in toyotas range. The main rule that describes the short form for cases is rule 10. Keep the same typeface for your hereinafter form as you would for the full citation form italics for article titles, small caps for book titles, etc. Therefore, the most common format for a supra short form citation consists of the authors last name followed supra, offset by a comma. Citation practices and the bluebook cuny school of law. Cited authority directly states the contrary of the proposition but see cited authority clearly supports a proposition contrary to the main proposition order of authorities, 1. I personally have developed a great love, respect, and appreciation for the use of supra in legal writing. If supra would be cumbersome or confusing, use hereinafter with the full cite to establish a. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Use see to introduce an authority that clearly supports, but does not directly state, the proposition. The blue book points out that citations in explanatory parentheticals are ignored when using id. Although it is intended to highlight the bluebook, and not substitute for it, we hope this guide provides a convenient, delawarespecific resource for the superior courts judicial officers, law clerks, interns, externs, and staff.
With that in mind, here is a list of some of the more obscure bluebook rules. Order of authorities bluebook legal citation tarlton. If treatise has two authors, include the full name of both. Basic legal citation starting points most lawyers and law students seem to think that properly citing legal materials is a. Prior history includes opinions issued by the court before the opinion in which you wish to cite. It is used in citations to present authorities and indicate how those authorities relate to propositions in statements. Type of authority is the first characteristic to consider under rule 1.
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