Library Guides: Bluebook Citation Guide: Cases

CASES: Rule 10

Rule 10 covers how to cite to court decisions. The precise format of a case citation depends on various factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. Review the rest of this section on case citations and the relevant rules in The Bluebook before trying to format a case citation for the first time.

Elements of a Citation

1. Case Names
2. Reporters & Other Sources
3. Court & Jurisdiction
4. Date or Year
5. Parenthetical Information
6. Prior & Subsequent History

See R10, pp. 95-118 for more details, examples, and short cites.

CASES: Tables

When citing to case law, you may need to reference the Bluebook tables at the back of the style guide. The most commonly used tables for case citations include:

T1- to find proper abbreviation for reporter; locate official reporter
T6- for common word and name abbreviations for parties
T7- for court names
T8- for explanatory phrases
T10- for geographic terms
T11- for judges and official
T12- for months

CASES: Example

For a law review article footnote, the first full citation of the case name is not underlined or italicized.