Case Citation
A case citation will have a volume number, a reporter and a page number.
Example
| |
265 US 274 |
| |
265 |
Volume number where the case appears |
| |
US |
Abbreviation for the title set of books reporting the case |
| |
274 |
Page number on which the case begins |
Often a case will be reported in several different reporters. These additional cites are known as parallel citations. Two examples of parallel citation are given here:
-- United States Supreme Court Case --
491 U.S. 397
109 S. Ct 2533 105 L.Ed.2d 342
-- Michigan Supreme Court Case --
416 Mich. 63 330 N.W.2d 366
U.S. Supreme Court decisions are reported in three reporters listed in this example: United States Supreme Court Reports (U.S. - the official government publication); Supreme Court Reporter by West Publishing (S.Ct. - an unofficial reporter); and, United States Supreme Court Reporter, Lawyer's Edition published by the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company (L.Ed.2d - another unofficial reporter). They are also printed in US Law Week, a BNA publication.
NOTE: You only need to look at one of the four sources, however, since each is reporting the same US Supreme Court decisions.
Case Example
Schoonover v. Black Bros. Co, 914, F.2d, 258 (6th Cir. 1990 ).
Schoonover v. Black Bros. Co |
the parties' names; names are underlined and are followed by a comma a lower case "v." replaces "versus |
| 914 |
Reporter volume number |
| F.2d |
Reporter name (abbreviated ) |
| 258 |
The first page of the case in that volume |
| (6th Cir. 1990 ) |
The court and the year of decision is enclosed in parentheses |
Statute Citation Example
42 U.S.C § 405(a) (1988).
| 42 |
Number |
| U.S.C |
Code title abbreviated |
| § 405(a) (1988). |
Page/paragraph and date |
Law Review Article Citation Example
Dan T. Coenen, The Constitutional Case, 75, Minn. L. Rev 1339, 1341 (1991).
Dan T. Coenen |
Author |
The Constitutional Case |
Title of article |
| 75 |
volume |
| Minn. L. Rev |
Title of law review abbreviated |
1339, 1341
|
Pages |
| (1991). |
Date of journal publication in parenthesis. |
Lexis Nexis Example
BRIGHT v. LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCH. DIST., L.A. No. 30555, Supreme Court of California, 18 Cal. 3d 450; 556 P.2d 1090; 1976 Cal. LEXIS 364; 134 Cal. Rptr. 639; 2 Media L. Rep. 1175, December 6, 1976,
Note that in this example Lexis/Nexis provides all parallel citations to this case.
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