Bluebook LibGuide

When abbreviating courts and reporters, you may notice some funny spacing.

Why are there spaces in "F. Supp. 2d" but not in "F.2d"?

According to R 6.1(a):

Do not include a space between two capital letters: S.D.N.Y
Numbers, including ordinals, are treated like capital letters: F.3d
Include a space between single capital letters and longer abbreviations: F. Supp.
Include a space between abbreviations containing two or more letters: Cal. App.

Additional help with the bluebook

Provides tips on using the Bluebook, from the Bluebook's official webpage www.legalbluebook.com.

A LibGuide created by the Georgetown Law Library which introduces The Bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students.

Cornell's LII: Basic Legal Citation (online) The online book was recently revised in the summer of 2016 to reflect the release of a new, free citation guide, The Indigo Book, and the publication of The Supreme Court's Style Guide. Like all prior revisions this one also included a thorough review of the relevant rules of appellate practice of federal and state courts, and the latest edition of The Bluebook, released in 2015. It is linked to the new Indigo Book. As has been true of all editions released since 2010, it is also indexed to the The Bluebook and the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation.

Importantly, however, it documents the many respects in which contemporary legal writing, very often following guidelines set out in court rules or style guides, diverges from the citation formats specified by those academic texts. The current online format, released in early 2016, was created with the assistance of a team of students enrolled in a graduate software engineering course at Cornell.

The content of this guide is also available in three e-book formats: 1) a PDF version that can be printed out in whole or part and also used with hyperlink navigation on an iPad or other tablet, indeed, on any computer (Be aware that not all PDF readers allow the user to follow links. You'll want one, like Adobe's, which does.); 2) a version designed specifically for use on the full range of Kindles as well as other ereaders or apps using the Mobi format; and 3) a version in ePub format for ereaders or apps that work with it. To access any of them, select “eBooks” at the top of the page. (Over 50,000 copies of the 2015 edition were downloaded.)

Since the guide is online, its further revision is not tied to a rigid publication cycle. Any user seeing a need for clarification, correction, or other improvement is encouraged to “speak up.” What doesn't work, isn't clear, is missing, appears to be in error? Has a change occurred in one of the fifty states that should be reported? Comments of these and other kinds can be sent by email addressed to peter.martin@cornell.edu. (Please include "Citation" in the subject line.) Many of the features and some of the coverage of this reference are the direct result of past user questions and advice.

Call Number: KF245 .M34 2010

This book, available in the Law Library's Practical Skills collection, will help you learn Bluebook citation. It is especially helpful when used with Lexis' Interactive Citation Workstation.

Lexis+ This link opens in a new window

Lexis provides an interactive citation workshop which can be accessed by selecting the left topmost drop down menu and picking "Interactive Citation Workstation."

This subscription is available by login and password and limited to College of Law students and Faculty.

View the most recent accomplishments, including publications and citations, of College of Law faculty in this area of law.

Case Citation: B10

The Bluepages rules for case citations are under rule B10, starting on page 10 of your Bluebook.

Follow the rules below step by step to create a full citation. Remember, in legal citation "versus" is always abbreviated to "v." That rule is buried in the Bluebook! (hint: look at the middle of page 94)

Full Citation: B 10.1

Example:

Meritor Sav. Bank, FSB v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57, 60 (1986).

Citation created from this:

477 U.S. 57, 106 S.Ct. 2399, 40 Fair Empl.Prac.Cas. (BNA) 1822, 40 Empl. Prac. Dec. P 36,159, 91 L.Ed.2d 49, 54 USLW 4703
Supreme Court of the United States

MERITOR SAVINGS BANK, FSB, Petitioner
v.
Mechelle VINSON et al.

First, note the typeface. The case name is in italics. - B 1
Case Name- B 10.1.1
1. For individuals, include only their surname - B 10.1.1(ii)
  1. "Mechelle Vinson" is shortened to "Vinson"
  1. "Savings" is shortened to "Sav."
  1. Choosing a reporter: You can see this case was reported in no fewer than six places. How do you choose?
    1. The general Bluebook rule is to follow the rules for a particular jurisdiction found in Table T1.
      1. For United States Suprme Court decisions, cite to "U.S." T1.1
      2. If the decision isn't in the U.S. reporter yet, cite to S.Ct., L. Ed., or U.S.L.W., in that order T1.1
      1. "477"
      1. "U.S."
      1. "57"
      1. "60"
      1. Include name of court and its geographical jurisdiction, unless citing to the United States Supreme Court or the highest court of any state. In those cases, the name of the reporter you use according to T1 will include the name of the state (i.e. decisions of the Michigan Supreme Court are cited to the Michigan Reports, abbreviated to "Mich.")
        
        Abbreviate courts and jurisdictions according to T1 (p. 233) for U.S. jurisdictions or T2 (p. 307) for foreign jurisdictions, if they are included in those tables
        
        If the court and jurisdiction is not found in T1 or T2, abbreviate according to T7 (p. 498) for court names and T10 (p. 502) for geographical terms
        
        Short form: B 4.2
        
        When can you use a short form? If you have already provided a full citation to the authority, you can switch to a short form for later citations if the full citation falls in the same general discussion (ex. the legislative history subsection of the argument section of your appellate brief), and if the reader will be able to tell what authority you're refering to and find the full citation for herself. If in doubt, give a full citation.
        
        Three basic short forms for cases:
        
        Case name: ex. Meritor Sav. Bank, 477 U.S. at 60
        
        Shortened Case Name (include name of the first party; shorten long party names)
        
        Reporter Volume Number and Abbreviated Name
        
        Pincite
        
        Illinois Public-Domaiin Case Citation
        
        Illinois courts have implemented a system of public-domain case citation for opinions issued on or after July 1, 2011. Opinions issued prior to July 1, 2011 are not subject to the new system and will continue to be cited as they have been in the past.
        
        As of July 1, 2011, the official Illinois court reporters, Illinois Reports and Illinois Appellate Reports, are no longer being published. All opinions issued by the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Court on or after July 1, 2011, will be assigned a unique public-domain case designator and will be posted on the Supreme Court’s website.
        
        When citing an Illinois court opinion issued on or after July 1, 2011, the public-domain case citation must be used. Parallel citations to the North Eastern Reporter and West’s Illinois Decisions may be included, but are not required. West Publishing Company will continue to publish all opinions issued by the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Court in both the North Eastern Reporter and in West’s Illinois Decisions. West will continue to assign key numbers to those opinions.
        
        When citing an Illinois court opinion issued prior to July 1, 2011, continue to use the official Illinois Reports or Illinois Appellate Reports citation. Parallel citations to the North Eastern Reporter and West’s Illinois Decisions may be included, but are not required.