CITATION HANDOUT

Getting to know the Bluebook:

● Bluepages v. White pages
○ Bluepages (pp. 3-60) are used for briefs, court documents,
memorandums, and other documents used in the practice of law.
■ NOTE: when the Bluepages do not fully address a citation issue,
look to the corresponding rule in the white pages rule for guidance.
■ These rules are abbreviated as B#, standing for Bluepages rule #
■ **We will primarily be using Bluepages for the purposes of Legal
Writing Class
● White pages (pp. 61-226) are used for academic writing, including law review
and journal writing.
● Tables (pp. 227-328) list abbreviations, reporter preferences, and more. You will
frequently see them cited in this handout as T#, standing for Table #

Full Case Citations

● Reported Cases
○ [Party 1] v. [Party 2], [Volume] [Reporter] [Start page], [Pincite] ([Court]
[Year]).
■ Italicize OR underline parties
● Abbreviations for parties in T6/T10
■ Volume number of the reporter
■ Abbreviated name of the reporter (Look at T1)
■ Page number where the case begins
■ Pincite
● The specific page related to cited proposition (B10.1.2)
○ Some include page ranges (ex. 57-60; 278-81)
○ If pincite is first page of opinion, cite to the first page
○ For specific page numbering rules,
■ Look at R3.2
■ Which court decided this case? (Look at T1)
● No need to give court name if deciding court is the US
Supreme Court
● Note R6.2(b)(ii):
○ In citations, for figures representing ordinal numbers
ending in the number two or three, use “2d” or “3d”
(instead of 2nd or 3rd)

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 ○ Never use superscript!
■ Only use year (NOT month, date, etc.)
■ Example:
● Kehoe v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 96 F.3d 1095, 1097 (8th Cir.
1996).
● Unreported Cases (R10.1.4)
○ [Case name], [Case docket number], [Database identifier and electronic
report number], at [Star page number] ([Court] [Full date]).
■ Takes the place of the volume
■ Corresponds to which legal database you are using
■ Specific page you are citing to
● Add a “*” before the page number
■ Use the abbreviated month, day, and year
■ Example:
● Auburn Univ. v. Moody, No. 3:08cv796-CSC, 2008 WL
4877542, at *1 (M.D. Ala. Nov. 4, 2008).

Citation Sentence vs. Textual Sentence

- Because we do not use footnotes in Legal Writing, you will be citing sources
throughout your memos/briefs. The first time you refer to a case, you must give
the full citation in either a citation sentence, or in a textual sentence.
Thereafter, you will use a short citation.
o REMEMBER: you will be citing EVERY sentence in the R and E of
CREAC
 1. Citation Sentence
o Use a citation sentence to cite sources and authorities that relate to the
ENTIRE preceding sentence
 This is a stand-alone citation, and can include multiple sources
 Begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. (like any regular
sentence)
 Example:
 The court held that the specific facts of a case determine
whether the conduct rises to the level of an extraordinary
transgression. House v. Hicks, 179 P.3d 730, 736 (Or. Ct.
App. 2008).
 2. Textual Sentence
o Use when you are mentioning a case for the FIRST time within the text of
a sentence
o Note on abbreviations in textual sentence:

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  *Only eight words are abbreviated in textual sentences (B10.1.1(v))
 and – &
 association – Ass’n
 brothers – Bros.
 company – Co.
 corporation – Corp.
 incorporated – Inc.
 limited – Ltd.
 number – No.
o Example of textual sentence:
 In Florida Ass’n of Realtors, Inc. v. Smith, 825 So. 2d
532, 538 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002), the court found that the
ballot summary did not meet the constitutional
requirements.
o Different from citation sentence:
 The First District found the ballot summary did not meet
the constitutional requirements. Fla. Ass’n of Realtors,
Inc. v. Smith, 825 So. 2d 532, 538 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002).
o Don’t split a full citation:
 In Florida Ass’n of Realtors, Inc. v. Smith, the court found
that the ballot summary did not meet the constitutional
requirements. 825 So. 2d 532, 538 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002).

Short Citations
● Once you cite a case, you do not need a full citation again. Instead, use a short
citation.
● After the first full citation, in subsequent references to the case, whether in the
short citation or naming the case in text, you can simply refer to one party’s name
(or an identifiable shorter version of the party’s name) if the reference is
unambiguous
● Examples of short cites for Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 484 (1954):
1. Id. (p. 17)
● Use Id. only when citing to the source cited in the
immediately preceding citation.
● The ‘I’ in Id. is only capitalized when it begins a citation
sentence.
○ Example: See id. (no capital I)
● The period IS ALWAYS italicized!!!!! (or underlined, if using
underlining)
■ Id. at [Pincite].

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 ● When citing to the preceding source but changing the
pincite. (page being referred to)
● REMEMBER- there is always period after Id., do not then
capitalize the “A” in “at”
■ Example:
● Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), is a
landmark case. It ended segregation in public schools. Id.
For such a landmark case, it is a surprisingly short opinion.
Id. The court ruled segregation as unconstitutional. Id. at
484.
2. [Volume] [Reporter] at [Pincite].
■ Use this when you have already cited the case and include the
case name in the in-text sentence.
■ Example:
● A landmark case, Brown ended segregation in public
schools. 347 U.S. at 483.
3. [Shortened case name], [Volume] [Reporter] at [Pincite].
■ Same as above but use this when you did not include the case
name in the in-text sentence.
■ Example:
● The US Supreme Court ended segregation in public schools.
Brown, 347 U.S. at 483.
○ Note for unreported case short citation:
● Id.
○ Or if citing to a different pincite:
■ Id. at [Star page number].
● [Database identifier and electronic report number], at [Star
page number].
● [Case name], [Database identifier and electronic report
number], at [Star page number].

Statutes
● 1. Federal Statutes
○ If available, cite to the United States Code (U.S.C) itself, not the U.S.C.A.
(found on Westlaw) or U.S.C.S. (found on Lexis).
■ Example: 1 U.S.C. § 12.
■ Citations to federal code do NOT require a date.
○ NOTE- (on mac) hold the option key, and 6 to get § symbol; (on windows)
hold the alt key and press 0167 to get § symbol
○ Citing to multiple statute sections

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 ■ Use two section symbols (§§) when citing to multiple sections.
● Example:
○ 45 U.S.C. §§ 1, 8, 12.
○ 42 U.S.C. §§ 1-4.
○ Different from: 45 U.S.C. § 1
○ Citing to an entire act: include the name (if any)
■ Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2601-2654.
● 2. State Statutes
○ T1.3 lists the official and unofficial statutory compilations of each state,
with the preferred code first.
■ This table begins on p. 242 and lists states by alphabetical order
● Note for short citations:
○ You can use Id. to refer to a statute!!

Quotations
● 1. Under 50 words: place inside double quotation marks (“text”)
■ The first word is capitalized if the quotation is a complete sentence.
■ If the quote is a fragment, do not capitalize the first word.
○ Altering a quote – Rule 5.2
■ When you must change the capitalization of a letter or insert a
word, enclose the altered letter or word in brackets.
● Example:
○ The source said’ “Refused to permit his recovery.”
○ You can alter it to say: “The Defendant “[r]efused to
permit [the Plaintiff’s] recovery.”
● 2. 50+ word quote: block quote (use sparingly)
○ For a block quote
■ Right and left indentation
■ Single Space
■ No quotation marks around the quote
■ Place the citation under the block quote back within the text.
● Quotation Punctuation: B5.1
○ Always include periods and commas inside the quotation mark, even if not
part of the original quote.
■ Unless part of the original quote, do not include colons, semi-
colons, question marks, or explanation points within the quotation
marks.

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Florida-Specific Citations
● Note: When practicing in Florida, use Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure
9.800 BEFORE using the Bluebook.
○ 1. Cases: the difference is in the parenthesis
■ Florida Supreme Court
● Fenelon v. State, 594 So. 2d 292 (Fla. 1992).
■ Florida District Courts of Appeal
● Buncayo v. Dribin, 533 So. 2d 935 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988);
Sotolongo v. State, 530 So. 2d 514 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988).
○ This is different from the bluebook: Buncayo v. Dribin,
533 So. 2d 935 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1988)
○ The 9.800 citation provides clarification about which
DCA decided the case.
○ 2. Florida Statutes: the difference is in the ordering
■ § 48.031, Fla. Stat. (2014).
■ Bluebook: Fla. Stat. § 48.031 (2014).