Keith Mack
A case citation is a reference to a legal source, such as a constitution, statute, reported case, treatise, or law review article. Case citations are unique and follow a standard format, typically comprising five parts: the names of the parties in the case, the volume number of the court reporter, the court reporter abbreviation, the page number of the reporter where the case begins, and the year the case was decided. The ability to read and understand case citations is essential for anyone using a law library, enabling researchers to independently locate materials.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Case name | Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. |
| Party names | Plaintiff and defendant |
| Reporter abbreviation | F. for Federal Reporter, S.Ct. for Supreme Court Reporter, L.Ed. for Lawyer's Edition |
| Volume number | The volume number always precedes the abbreviated reporter title |
| Page number | The page number always follows the abbreviated reporter title |
| Year | The year the case was decided is the final element of a case citation |
| Court | Federal appellate courts, district courts, state courts |
| Parallel citations | When a case is printed in more than one set of books, all cites to that opinion are given |
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What You'll Learn
Case name and number
The case name and number are crucial components of a case citation. The case name typically includes the names of the parties involved in the legal dispute, with the plaintiff listed first, followed by the defendant, separated by the abbreviation 'v.' or 'vs.' (from the Latin 'versus', meaning 'against'). For example, in the case name 'Smith v. Jones', 'Smith' is the plaintiff and 'Jones' is the defendant. This format may vary depending on the jurisdiction and the level of the court hearing the case. In appellate cases, the petitioner (appellant) may be listed first, followed by the respondent (appellee).
Case names are generally italicised or underlined in citations. In some jurisdictions, such as Ohio in the United States, the order of party names may remain the same on appeal as in the trial court. Additionally, in Commonwealth countries, the 'v' in case titles is typically pronounced as 'and' when read aloud. For instance, 'Smith v Jones' would be pronounced as 'Smith and Jones'.
The case number is also known as the volume number or reporter volume number. It refers to the specific volume of the case reporter or law report series in which the case opinion or judgment is published. For instance, in the citation "Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007)", '550' is the volume number where the case can be found. It is important to note that volume numbers are often associated with specific reporters, and the same case may have different volume numbers in different reporters.
In some countries, cases may be cited using a neutral citation system that does not depend solely on the publication of the case in a law report. For example, in Canada, the Canadian Judicial Council adopted a neutral citation standard in 1999. In such systems, cases are assigned unique identifiers that may include a court identifier code, the year or volume, and the page number where the decision is published.
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Court and date
The court and date are essential components of a case citation. The court is often abbreviated, and the date typically refers to the year the case was decided.
Court Abbreviations
Court abbreviations vary depending on the jurisdiction and the specific court. For example, in the United States, the Supreme Court is abbreviated as "U.S." or "US", while a Circuit Court would be abbreviated as "Cir." State court abbreviations vary; for example, Virginia is abbreviated as "Va.", while Wyoming is abbreviated as "Wyo.".
In some jurisdictions, like Australia, there may be multiple citation styles for the same court, and a movement towards adopting a comprehensive academic citation style is observed.
Date Formats
The date format in case citations typically includes the year, and sometimes also the month and day. For example, "2007" or "2017".
In certain jurisdictions, like California, the date format may include the volume number and year, without specifying the individual code section's enactment date.
In other jurisdictions, like England, Australia, and some parts of Canada, the volume number and year are combined, with the year often serving to identify the specific book within a series that contains the reported case.
Additionally, some courts, such as the Ohio Supreme Court, have developed their own citation systems, incorporating the abbreviation for the state, followed by the year and a unique identifier for the case.
Locating Court Opinions
To locate the full text of a court opinion, it is essential to follow the citation's specified volume, reporter abbreviation, and page number. This information can be used to find the opinion in a law library or through electronic databases.
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Reporter and volume
The reporter is the name of the publication in which the case is reported. For example, in the citation "MacDougall v. Levick, 77 S.E.2d 579 (Va. App. 2016)", the reporter is the "Virginia Court of Appeals". The reporter is typically abbreviated, as in this example, where "Va. App." is used as an abbreviation for the "Virginia Court of Appeals".
The volume number of the reporter is the specific volume of the publication in which the case is reported. In the example above, "77 S.E.2d" is the volume number. The volume number always precedes the abbreviated reporter title. For instance, in "77 S.E.2d 579 (Va. App. 2016)", "77" is the volume number, and "S.E.2d" is the abbreviated reporter title.
Reporter volumes typically contain numerous different cases. For example, the citation "Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007)" indicates that the case can be found in volume 550 of the United States Reports, starting on page 618.
It's important to note that cases can be reported in more than one set of books, resulting in multiple citations for the same case. These are known as parallel citations. For example, in the citation "Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor, 410 U.S. 113, 93 S.Ct. 705, 35 L.Ed. 2d 147 (1973)", there are three parallel citations: the United States Reports, the Supreme Court Reporter, and the United States Supreme Court Reports Lawyers' Edition.
In some cases, there may be both official and unofficial citations. Official reporters are those with which the court has contracted to publish the reports, while unofficial citations may contain additional editorial features that differ from the official version. For instance, in California, the State Supreme Court cases are published officially in the "California Reports", while the Court of Appeals cases are officially published in the "California Appellate Reports".
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Page and section
A citation (or cite) in legal terminology is a reference to a specific legal source, such as a constitution, a statute, a reported case, a treatise, or a law review article. A standard citation includes the volume number, then the title of the source (usually abbreviated), and lastly, a page or section number.
The page or section number is a crucial component of a legal citation, as it directs the reader to the exact location of the referenced material within the source. In the case of a page number, it indicates the specific page within the source where the relevant information can be found. For example, in the citation "Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor, 410 U.S. 113, 93 S.Ct. 705, 35 L.Ed. 2d 147 (1973)", the page number "113" refers to the page within the United States Reports where the case begins.
It's important to note that some sources may use section numbers instead of page numbers. This is particularly common in codes and statutes, where the relevant information is organized by sections rather than pages. For example, in the context of the United States Code, the first number refers to the title of the code, and the second number refers to the section number within that title.
Additionally, some citations may include pinpoint references to specific paragraphs within a page, especially in common law countries with an adversarial system of justice. This is done instead of using page numbers, as paragraph numbers are less dependent on the physical format of the source. For example, in the citation "BGHSt 35, 347 ff.", the "ff." indicates that the cited content can be found on page 347 and the following pages.
In some cases, a citation may include both the page and section numbers, especially when referring to a specific section within a page. This provides an even more precise reference to the relevant information.
It's worth mentioning that different courts and jurisdictions may have their own standards and styles for case citations. For instance, California Supreme Court cases have two parallel citations: one to the Pacific Reporter and the other to the California Reporter. Therefore, it's essential to consult the specific guidelines and conventions of the relevant court or jurisdiction when interpreting or constructing legal citations.
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Official and unofficial citations
In the United States, for example, cases from the Supreme Court are officially printed in the United States Reports (abbreviated as "U.S."). There are also two parallel citations for Supreme Court cases: those published by West in the Supreme Court Reporter (abbreviated "S.Ct.") and those published by LexisNexis in the United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition (abbreviated "L.Ed." or "L.Ed. 2d").
Unofficial specialist law reports focus on particular areas, such as Entertainment and Media Law Reports (EMLR) or the Criminal Appeal Reports (Cr App R).
In California, State Supreme Court cases are officially published in the California Reports (series 1-4), while Court of Appeals cases are officially published in the California Appellate Reports (series 1-4). Unofficial reports are published by West in the West's California Reporter (series 1, 2 & 3).
Federal cases follow the same format as California cases. Court of Appeals cases are published only in West's Federal Reporter (abbreviated "F.," "F. 2d.," or "F. 3d."). Federal District Court cases are published only in West's Federal Supplement (abbreviated "F. Supp." or "F. Supp. 2d").
Citations to the United States Code follow the same general format as cases, but the first number refers to the title of the United States Code, and the second number refers to the section number of the code. The official code of the federal government is abbreviated as "U.S.C.". The unofficial codes are designated by their own abbreviations: "U.S.C.A." (West) and "U.S.C.S." (Lexis).
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Frequently asked questions
A case citation is a reference to a specific legal source, such as a reported case.
A case citation includes the names of the parties in the case, the volume number of the court reporter, the court reporter abbreviation, the page number of the reporter where the case begins, and the year the case was decided.
The citation starts with the volume number, followed by the title of the source (usually abbreviated), and ends with a page or section number.
A reporter is the name of the series in which a case is published. Cases, or judicial opinions, can be published by more than one publisher.
When a case is reported or printed in more than one set of books, all the cites to that opinion are given, and these are known as parallel citations.
