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How to cite a case, part by part

A full case citation runs: case name, volume, reporter, first page, pin cite, then the court and year in parentheses: Smith v. Jones, 500 F.3d 10, 12 (2d Cir. 2007). Leave the court out when the reporter already names it, as U.S. does for the Supreme Court: Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954).

Written for the 22nd edition. Updated .

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Miranda v. Arizona, 384 US 436, 444 (U.S. 1966). Smith v. Jones, 500 F. 3d 10, 12 (2007).

The parts, in order

Case name, italicized or underlined in a memo or brief, with words like Association, Board and Education abbreviated in citations (Rule 10.2.2 and table T6): Brown v. Bd. of Educ.

Volume, reporter and first page: 347 U.S. 483. Cite the reporter the rules prefer for that court; for the Supreme Court that is U.S. when it has the case.

Pin cite: the page you are relying on, after a comma: 347 U.S. 483, 495. See pin cites.

Court and year in one parenthetical: (2d Cir. 2007), (S.D.N.Y. 2019), (Ill. 2019). Drop the court when the reporter only publishes one court's opinions.

Reporter spacing

Close up adjacent single capitals, and count ordinals like 2d and 3d as single capitals: U.S., F.3d, N.E.2d. Leave a space next to any longer abbreviation: S. Ct., F. Supp. 3d, Cal. Rptr. 3d (Rule 6.1).

Memos and briefs may close those spaces up (S.Ct., F.Supp.3d) to save words; law reviews may not. Adding a space between single capitals, as in F. 3d, is wrong everywhere.

  • 500 F. 3d 10500 F.3d 10F and 3d are both single capitals. R 6.1
  • 384 US 436384 U.S. 436The reporter's abbreviation has periods. R 10.3, T1

The court and year

The parenthetical tells the reader which court decided the case, unless the reporter already does. A federal appellate case in F.3d needs its circuit; a district court case in F. Supp. needs its district; a case in a regional reporter needs the state, and the court if it isn't the state's highest (Rule 10.4).

  • 445 U.S. 573 (U.S. 1980)445 U.S. 573 (1980)U.S. already tells the reader it's the Supreme Court. R 10.4
  • 603 F.3d 731 (2010)603 F.3d 731 (9th Cir. 2010)F.3d covers every circuit; name the one. R 10.4

Questions

Do I italicize the case name?
In a memo or brief, italicize or underline it, and be consistent. In law review footnotes, case names in full citations are roman, but italic in short forms and in textual sentences.
Why does a Supreme Court cite show only the year?
Because U.S. reports only Supreme Court decisions, so naming the court again would repeat what the reporter says.
When do I abbreviate words in a case name?
In citations, abbreviate the words listed in table T6, such as Association (Ass'n) and Education (Educ.). In a textual sentence, only well-known abbreviations are used.

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