Gavin Howe
The American Psychological Association (APA) has established a widely adopted citation style for academic writing. APA Style is used across a range of disciplines, including law. However, legal citations in APA Style differ from standard APA citations and have specific rules for referencing court cases, statutes, and other legal materials. This is a guide to the correct format for citing law cases in APA Style, covering both in-text citations and reference lists.
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What You'll Learn
Case name formatting
APA Style legal citations differ from standard APA citations. They generally don't list authors, and abbreviations are used to make them more concise.
The case name or style of cause are italicized for in-text citations. For example, the in-text citation for the case name "Wue v. Yang" would be written as follows:
> Wue v. Yang
However, the case name is written in standard type in the reference list entry. For example:
> Wue v. Yang, Volume Source Page (Court Date)
Note that the reference list entry should specify only a single page number—the page where the coverage of that case begins—instead of a full page range.
In the reference list entry, the case name is written in standard type, while the in-text citation is in italics.
For U.S. Supreme Court cases, cite the case as published in the United States Reports whenever possible. If the case has not yet been published in the United States Reports, cite the Supreme Court Reporter.
For U.S. Circuit Court cases, the template for the reference list is as follows:
> Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). URL
For U.S. District Court cases, the template for the reference list is as follows:
> Name v. Name, Volume F. Supp. Page (Court Year). URL
When citing a statute (law or act) in the text of your paper, do not italicize the title of the statute. For example:
> (Adoption Act, 1996)
However, if your instructor asks you to modify this APA rule, you can italicize the title of the statute in the in-text citation. For example:
> (Adoption Act, 1996) or (Adoption Act, 1996)
Consult your instructor for their preference.
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Citing a statute
APA Style is used for citing sources in academic papers. The APA Publication Manual (7th edition) outlines the format for citing legal sources, including statutes. Here are some detailed instructions and examples for citing a statute in APA Style:
Citing Federal Statutes
Federal statutes are laws passed by the federal government and are published in the United States Code (U.S.C.). To cite a federal statute in APA Style, include the following elements:
- Name of the Act: Provide the full name of the statute or law.
- "U.S.C.": This stands for United States Code and indicates the source of the federal statute.
- Title Number: Include the title number of the U.S.C. where the law appears. Titles are sections within the U.S.C. that cover different topics.
- Section Number: Specify the section number within the title where the law is located. The section symbol (§) should precede the section number.
- Year: Include the year the law was published in the source you consulted, not necessarily the year it was passed or amended.
- URL (optional): Provide the URL of the online source where the statute was accessed, if relevant.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990).
Citing State Statutes
State statutes are laws passed by individual states and are published in their own state-specific codes. The format for citing state statutes is similar to federal statutes, with a few differences:
- Replace "U.S.C." with the abbreviation for the specific state's law code. For example, "Va. Code" for Virginia state law.
- Some state codes use article or chapter numbers instead of or in addition to section numbers. Adapt your reference to the standards of the particular state.
- Include the public law number if the law is not included in the state code or is spread across non-consecutive sections of the code.
Short Title of Act, Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation).
For example: Yarra River Protection (Wilip-Gin Birrarung Murron) Act 2017 (Vic).
In-Text Citations
For in-text citations, use the name of the act and the year, following the standard APA format for parenthetical citations. Do not italicize the name of the statute in the in-text citation.
For example: ("Americans with Disabilities Act", 1990) or ("Short Title of Act, Year").
Bluebook and McGill Guide
Note that APA Style defers to the Bluebook style for legal materials, which is the standard citation style used in all legal disciplines. The Bluebook provides comprehensive guidelines for citing legal sources, including statutes, and may be required for law-related fields. Additionally, the McGill Guide is the standard citation style in Canada, and your instructor may prefer that you follow its formatting for legal citations.
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In-text citations
The title or name of a case is written in standard type in the reference list entry and in italics in the in-text citation. For example, the in-text citation for the case "Wue v. Yang" would be:
> .. as evidenced by the case of *Wue v. Yang* (2009)...
Note that the case name is italicized, followed by the year the decision was made.
If you are directly quoting a specific part of the case, you should also include the paragraph or page number:
> .. as evidenced by the case of *Canada Post v. Lepine* (2009, para. 5)...
Here, "para. 5" refers to the fifth paragraph of the decision. If you are referring to a specific page, you would include "p." followed by the page number, as in:
> .. the court ruled in favour of the plaintiff (*Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada*, 1996, p. 3).
In this example, the in-text citation refers the reader to the third page of the decision.
For U.S. Supreme Court cases, it is recommended to cite the case as published in the United States Reports whenever possible. If the case has not yet been published in the United States Reports, cite the Supreme Court Reporter instead.
Additionally, when citing statutes (laws or acts) in the text, the APA Publication Manual 7th edition states that the title of the statute should not be italicized. However, your instructor may ask you to modify this rule and italicize the title of the statute in your in-text citations, as per the McGill Guide style.
It is important to consult your instructor or institution's specific guidelines for legal citations in APA Style, as there may be variations or preferences beyond the standard APA guidelines.
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Reference list entries
APA Style legal citations, such as court cases and laws, differ from other APA citation styles. Most legal materials are cited using the standard legal citation style, and abbreviations are used to make them more concise.
The reference list entry for a case published in a reporter should follow this format:
> Name v. Name, Volume Source Page (Court Date)
For example:
> Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada, 131 D.L.R (4th) 486 (BCSC 1996)
Note that the case name is written in standard type in the reference list entry, but in italics in the in-text citation.
Statutes
Statutes are laws and acts passed by legislative bodies. The reference list entry for a statute should include the name of the act, the title and section number, the source, and the year. For example:
> Name of Act, Title # Source § Section # (Year)
Or, for a federal statute:
> Name of Act, Title # U.S.C. § Section # (Year)
Patents
Patents are cited similarly to traditional APA sources. The reference list entry should include the inventor, the year the patent was issued, the patent title, the patent number, and the issuing body. For example:
> Inventor, A. A. (Year). Title of Patent (Patent No. ####). Issuing Body
Constitutions
You do not need to create a citation for federal or state constitutions. Simply reference them in the text by name. When citing particular articles and amendments, create reference list entries and in-text citations as normal. For the US Constitution, use the abbreviation "U.S. Const." in reference lists and parentheticals. For state constitutions, use the state abbreviation followed by "Const." (e.g. "In. Const." for Indiana's Constitution).
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Abbreviations
APA style citations for legal references may not require editing to fit the format, as they are similar to the standard legal citation style used across many disciplines in the law field. However, due to the possibility of some legal references containing large amounts of information, a series of abbreviations are used to shorten citations.
The Bluebook, a citation guide, offers a comprehensive list of abbreviations for legal publications. The ALWD Guide to Legal Citation, from the Association of Legal Writing Directors, is another resource that provides more examples and requires more bibliographic information for some sources. The Maroonbook, created by the University of Chicago, sets general guidelines and encourages common sense when creating non-prescribed citation formats.
The Redbook, or A Manual on Legal Style by Bryan Garner, covers citation formats and style guidance for punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. The Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Style Manual, and the APA Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are additional resources for citation guidance.
Harvard Library also provides a list of legal citation and abbreviation guides, including the Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations (Great Britain) and the OSCOLA: Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities.
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Frequently asked questions
To cite a law case in APA format, you should include the name of the case, the volume, the reporter, the page number, the court, the year, and optionally the URL.
No, the case name should be written in italics. The case name is written in standard type in the reference list entry.
The standard legal citation style used for legal references across all disciplines is the Bluebook style. APA defers to this style for legal materials and uses Bluebook templates and patterns in bibliographies.
If the case has not yet been published, cite the Supreme Court Reporter. For the reference list entry, include three underscores instead of the page number.
If you cannot determine the official abbreviation, some instructors prefer that you abbreviate it yourself or skip it.
