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Bluebook Citation: Cases

Bluebook Quick Reference

B10 (p.10-17): Bluepages sources and authorities reference for cases.

Rule 10 (p.94-118):  Rule explains all aspects of case citation.

T.1 (p.233-306): Reference for abbreviations of United States jurisdictions used in case citation.

Case Citing 101

The basic structure of a case citation has at least these four basic elements:

  1. Name of the case
  2. The source where the case can be found
  3. Name of the court that decided the case
  4. Year the case was decided

Example: U.S. v. Johnson, 640 F.3d (6th Cir. 2011).

The subheadings under the Cases tab corresponds to each of these elements and provides an in-depth look at each.  Each page will provide links to tutorials and practice materials to familiarize you with the basics.

For a general overview of citing cases, take a look at Georgetown Law Library's Bluebook Guide to Citing Cases.

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