Mla Style Guide: Italicizing Law Cases

When citing legal works in MLA style, writers should document the version of the work they consulted, rather than the canonical version of the law. One of the key challenges when citing legal works in MLA style is the formatting of titles. Writers should standardize titles of legal sources in their prose and list of works cited. The names of court cases should be italicized, for example, *Marbury v. Madison*. However, when citing laws, acts, and political documents, these should be capitalized and set in roman font, for instance, the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015.

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Italicise case names in the text of your paper

When writing a paper in MLA style, it is important to properly format case names in your text and works cited list. The MLA Handbook provides clear guidelines for citing legal works, including court cases.

When referring to a court case in the text of your paper, you should italicize the case name. For example, when citing the famous case of *Marbury v. Madison*, you would italicize the full case name as shown. This formatting applies regardless of whether you are citing a US Supreme Court case or a decision from another court.

It is worth noting that the abbreviation "v." or "vs." should be used consistently in your writing, even if the source you are citing uses a different abbreviation. Additionally, when determining the name of the court case, use only the surname of the first party listed on either side of "v." or "vs." For instance, in the case name *Brown v. Board of Education*, you would use "Brown" as the case name in your prose after introducing the full name.

While the case name in the text of your paper should be italicized, the format differs when it comes to the works cited list. In the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook, case titles were italicized in the text but not in the works cited list. However, in the 8th and 9th editions, the recommendation has changed. Now, writers are advised to italicize case names both in the text and in the works cited list.

It's important to consult the latest edition of the MLA Handbook or a reputable style guide to ensure you are following the most up-to-date guidelines for italicizing case names in your MLA-formatted paper.

Italicise names of court cases in the list of works cited

When citing legal works in MLA style, writers should document the version of the work they consulted, rather than the canonical version of the law. This is one of the fundamental principles of MLA style.

When it comes to titles, writers should standardise the titles of legal sources in their prose and list of works cited. Specifically, for court cases, the MLA Handbook instructs writers to italicise the names of court cases in their works cited lists. For example:

> Marbury v. Madison

> Romer v. Evans

> Brown v. Board of Education

This is a change from the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook, which instructed writers not to italicise case titles in the list of works cited. Now, in the 8th and 9th editions, writers are advised to italicise case names both in the text and in the list of works cited.

It is important to note that when a legal source is contained within another work, writers should treat the source as an independent publication. This means that if it is the name of a court case, it should be italicised, just as it would be in prose. However, if it is a law or similar document, it should be set in roman font, without quotation marks around the title.

Use the abbreviation 'v.' consistently

When citing legal works in MLA style, it is important to follow the recommended formatting guidelines for consistency and clarity. One important aspect of this is the consistent use of the abbreviation "v." in court case titles.

The abbreviation "v." is used in court case titles to represent the word "versus," which indicates the opposing parties in a legal dispute. In MLA style, it is important to maintain consistency in the use of this abbreviation, regardless of the specific version or variation of the case title being cited. This means that even if the original source uses a different abbreviation or spells out the full word "versus," the MLA citation should always use the abbreviated form "v."

For example, if you are citing the well-known case of *Marbury v. Madison*, the abbreviation "v." should be used in your MLA citation. This is true even if the full word "versus" is used in the original source or in other references to the case. By adhering to this standard, your MLA-style citations will be consistent and easily recognizable as legal references.

Additionally, when formatting the title of a court case in MLA style, it is important to italicize the case name. This applies both in the text of your writing and in the list of works cited. For example, the case name *Brown v. Board of Education* should be italicized as *Brown v. Board of Education* in your text, and the italicization should be maintained in the works-cited entry. This formatting helps to distinguish court case titles from other types of sources and ensures that your legal references adhere to MLA conventions.

In summary, when citing court cases in MLA style, it is crucial to consistently use the abbreviation "v." and to italicize the case names. These formatting guidelines promote consistency and clarity in your citations, facilitating easy identification of legal references for both readers and other researchers. By following these recommendations, your MLA-style citations will accurately and effectively convey the relevant legal sources used in your work.

Italicise independent titles

When following the MLA style, the general rule is that titles of independent and self-contained works should be italicized. This includes books, films, journals, periodicals, databases, and websites.

For example, in the MLA Handbook, the names of court cases are italicized, while laws, acts, and political documents are set in roman font. So, when citing a court case in MLA style, you would italicize the name of the case, such as *Marbury v. Madison*. However, if you were referencing a law, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, this would be written in roman font with no italics.

Similarly, when citing a book in MLA format, the title of the book is italicized, while the title of a chapter within that book would be placed in quotation marks. For instance, if you were citing a chapter from the book "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance", you would italicize the book title and place the chapter title in quotation marks.

It's important to note that this rule applies even when an independent work is part of a collection. For example, if you were citing a play that is included in an anthology, you would still italicize the title of the play.

In summary, when following MLA style, you would italicize independent titles, such as those of books, films, and websites, while placing dependent or nested titles, like chapters or articles, in quotation marks.

Capitalise the names of laws, acts, and political documents

When citing laws, acts, and political documents in MLA style, there are a few formatting guidelines to follow. Firstly, always capitalise the names of laws, acts, and political documents as you would with any other source title. For example, the "Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015" or the "Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015".

It is important to note that the titles of laws, acts, and similar documents should not be italicized or placed within quotation marks. Instead, they should be set in roman font. This is in contrast to the titles of court cases, which are italicized in MLA style. For example, "Marbury v. Madison" or "Brown v. Board of Education".

When a legal source is contained within another work, such as the United States Code appearing on a website with a separate title, treat the source as an independent publication. Style the title as you would in prose, following the same guidelines mentioned above. Additionally, when citing a government entity as an author, begin with the largest entity and proceed to the smallest, separating them with commas. For example, "United States, Congress, House or Senate".

It is worth noting that the MLA Handbook provides guidance on citing legal works, and writers should document the version of the work they consulted rather than the canonical version of the law. The specific format for citing court cases in MLA style includes the name of the court, the title of the case, the volume number, the publisher, and the year of the case.

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