When to capitalize court, and the Bluebook's other capitals

Capitalize court in three cases only (Rule 8 and Bluepages B8). The first is when you name a court in full: the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The second is when you mean the U.S. Supreme Court, even by a short name: the Court. The third is in a court document, when you mean the court that will receive it: This Court should deny the motion.

Everywhere else court is lowercase. A circuit, a district court or a state's supreme court you're writing about is the court, and so is a generic court of appeals. An office memo isn't filed in any court, so in a memo only the U.S. Supreme Court is the Court.

Some state style manuals, such as California's and Florida's, capitalize their own highest court. Follow them in a filing in that state; in class work, follow the Bluebook unless your professor says otherwise.

• In Varga v. Quill, the Court held that the lease controlled.In Varga v. Quill, the court held that the lease controlled.A state's highest court is still the court. R 8
• Ortiz v. Lane, 345 F.3d 12, 15 (1st Cir. 2003). The Court held that notice must be actual.Ortiz v. Lane, 345 F.3d 12, 15 (1st Cir. 2003). The court held that notice must be actual.The First Circuit isn't the Supreme Court. R 8
• In a brief: this court should deny the motion.In a brief: This Court should deny the motion.The court you're filing in takes a capital. B8
• Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966). The court required warnings.Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966). The Court required warnings.The U.S. Supreme Court is always the Court. R 8

Rule 8 lists words that take a capital only in a set use. Circuit is capitalized with the circuit's name or number: the Ninth Circuit. State and Commonwealth are capitalized as part of a full name, when the state is a party or acts as a government, or when the word they modify is capitalized: the State argues. Act and Code are capitalized when they mean a specific act or code. Federal takes a capital only when the word it modifies does.

Constitution is capitalized for the U.S. Constitution or any constitution named in full. Its parts are capitalized only for the U.S. Constitution: the Eighth Amendment, Article III. A state constitution's parts stay lowercase: article I, section 8 of the Florida Constitution.

Judge and Justice are capitalized with a name, and Justice for a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. A Supreme Court Term is capitalized too. The adjectives built from these words never are: constitutional, congressional, presidential.

• The ninth circuit split from the fifth circuit.The Ninth Circuit split from the Fifth Circuit.Circuit with its number takes a capital. R 8
• The state argues that the stop was lawful.The State argues that the stop was lawful.The state is a party. R 8
• a Constitutional right under the eighth amendmenta constitutional right under the Eighth AmendmentThe adjective is lowercase; the U.S. amendment isn't. R 8
• Article I, Section 8 of the Florida Constitutionarticle I, section 8 of the Florida ConstitutionA state constitution's parts stay lowercase. R 8
• Congressional intent and Federal courtscongressional intent and federal courtsAdjectives, and federal before a lowercase word. R 8

In a court document, capitalize Plaintiff, Defendant, Appellant and the like when they mean the parties in your own case, and drop the article: Defendant moved to dismiss (Bluepages B8). A party in a case you cite is lowercase: the plaintiff in Pellham.

Capitalize a document's title only when it was filed in your case and you use its real title or a short form of it: Defendant's Motion to Dismiss. A generic reference stays lowercase: a motion to dismiss is rarely granted.

• The defendant moved to dismiss.Defendant moved to dismiss.Your own party, in a filing. B8
• As the Plaintiff in Pellham argued,As the plaintiff in Pellham argued,A party in a case you cite is lowercase. B8

In a heading or the title of a work, capitalize the first word, the word right after a colon, and every other word except articles, conjunctions and prepositions of four or fewer letters (Rule 8(a)). So from and with stay lowercase, and Under and Without take a capital.

• Liability Of The Landlord Under The ActLiability of the Landlord Under the ActShort prepositions and articles stay lowercase. R 8(a)