Washington courts general rule 14 requires that citations in court documents conform with the format prescribed by the reporter of decisions. There is a bankruptcy court for every united states district court. In the trial court, first name is the plaintiff the party bringing the suit and the name after the. A reference guide for attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals, and law students. The style sheet is available on the internet through the home page for the washington state courts. If you prefer to search by state supreme court or court of appeals exclusively, click on the links in the left hand navigation bar for. A reference guide for attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals, and law students this link opens in a new window citechecker. Contains legal abbreviations for english language publications.
State, supreme court abbreviations or court of last resort. Bluebook definition, a register or directory of socially prominent persons. The following abbreviation lists are usage oriented and include variants of citations as well as standard forms. Unlike previous versions, the writing manual states its directives in rule format. The word court should be capitalized when naming any court in full or when referring to the u. Jun 08, 2011 undoubtedly, table 6 abbreviations for case names has become ridiculous, and the interaction between rules 16. There are too many rules for this introductory guide to cover. Blue book legal definition of blue book legal dictionary.
Mar 27, 2020 west publishes seven 7 regional reporters as part of the national reporter system. Its blue book value negligible, it wasnt worth selling outright. Court of appeals abbreviations bluebook quick reference. When citing a case in a citation clause or sentence, the general rule is to abbreviate party names according to table t6. A list of 1 reporters and reporter abbreviations, 2 courts and court abbreviations, and 3 preferred sources to cite for federal courts and each states courts table 6. State court abbreviations bluebook quick reference. The bluebook lists most abbreviations categorically in tables.
For example, here is how you would cite the provision of the u. For california state cases, csm requires you to cite the official reporters cal. It is used in most united states law schools and court systems to properly cite and abbreviate court cases in parenthetical citation sentences of legal documents. West also publishes the california reporter and the new york supplement, which contain appellate case law from california and new york. As noted above, the court is omitted if it is the highest court in the state. State courts bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. Includes references to state court rules with examples of how to cite cases and expanded coverage of citing electronic documents. Thus, the abbreviation for the bankrupty court of the district of wyoming is. They can be found in the index of the bluebook and also in the textual discussion about abbreviations. Those categories are organized alphabetically in the adjoining table. Apr 12, 2019 this research guide lists citation manuals and dictionaries of legal abbreviations to help you with these tasks. Oct 29, 2019 princes dictionary of legal abbreviations. Legal abbreviations are commonly found in anything from a book to court documents. Trustee or united states trustee, but, representing the united states.
Having a common set of abbreviations is very important because it allows everyone reading a legal document to understand what is being presented in writing without having to spell out terms that are frequently utilized. Court name abbreviations table 7 in a nutshell normally, the abbreviation for state intermediate appellate courts is x ct. Citing secondary sources sample bluebook citations. Govt of republic of ghana are the names of the parties in the case. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states. Constitution and state constitutions a citation to a constitution includes three elements. Published since 1911, it is produced by the oregon state archives, a division of the secretary of states. Abbreviating the court names is helpful for understanding and keeping legal writing concise. Abbreviations used in legal citation are often inscrutable, e. The worlds largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Legal abbreviations legal resources and research libguides at. Accepted abbreviations for legal materials may be found in various publications, such as.
California style manual for many years, the california style manual has served as the official guide for styling citations to legal materials in documents filed with state courts in california. Home legal citation guides and abbreviations research. Abbreviations for court names that you would use in the event a. Generally, that means bluebook format, but there are some exceptions for instance, citing rcw instead of wash. The abbreviations for the court and state are not included in the parenthetical due to rule 10. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. When filing legal documents with a court, court rules of citation apply. Because publishers adopt different practices regarding how abbreviations are printed, one may find abbreviations with or without periods for each letter. Supreme court abbreviations bluebook quick reference.
Court name abbreviations pennsylvania state university. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon. For example, the abbreviation for the district of wyoming is. Set out below is a table of words and their abbreviations with links to. For standard legal documents, intext citations are rendered either as i a complete sentence that supports a claim in the immediately preceding sentence of text, or, ii when the citation relates to a particular part of a sentence, as a clause within the sentence, immediately following the claim it supports. This guide lists acronyms and abbreviations commonly used by the united states federal government. Blue book definition of blue book by the free dictionary. University of chicago manual of legal citation the maroon book sources for abbreviations. In defense of the bluebook justia law blog june 8, 2011. Abbreviations to federal courts legal abbreviations. Bt2 jurisdictionspecific citation rules and style guides. Effective january 1, 2008, however, california rule of court, rule 1. Below is a basic list of very common abbreviations.
Provides correct citation and abbreviation information for all united states jurisdictions, including federal, state, and territories. State courts bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. Jul 19, 2019 the abbreviations for the court and state are not included in the parenthetical due to rule 10. Take a look at the list below to find which common words in case names are abbreviated according to the bluebook and how you should abbreviate them. The abbreviation for a bankruptcy court is the same as for the district court with bankr. Bluebook is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Case names often include the name of the court that made the judgment. You will be surprised at how many very common abbreviations are actually legalbased.
Before you can track down a publication, you need to figure out its complete title. Mar 25, 2020 the abbreviation for the state reporter nebraska court of appeals reports in which their opinions are printed is. Home guide to legal abbreviations and citations libguides at. The webs largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. A uniform system of citation the standard reference manual for american legal citation formatting. The 2012 supreme court of ohio writing manual, updated in 20 with this second edition, supersedes the 1985 manual, the interim edition, and the 2002 revisions. Times new roman font alongside with oneinch margins. The abbreviations following the states and district of columbia have been revised to follow the abbreviation convention for jurisdiction names in the date parenthetical of cases. Consult court rules for required citation format, usually found in the jurisdictions rules of procedure. Blue book definition, a register or directory of socially prominent persons. Court and jurisdiction see appendices 1 and 4 for court abbreviations year. Office of reporter of decisions style sheet effective july 03, 2018, and subject to revision. An official list of persons in the employ of the us government.
Court name abbreviations table 7, full list the following alphabetical list provides abbreviations for court names to be used in cases according to rule 10. West publishes seven 7 regional reporters as part of the national reporter system. Washington practitioners bluebook 101 library guides. The case was decided in the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit in 1992. Although it is intended to highlight the bluebook, and not substitute for it, we hope this guide provides a convenient, delawarespecific resource for the superior courts judicial officers, law clerks, interns, externs, and staff. These tables give the various abbreviations for the u. In addition, abbreviate any state or smaller geographic unit included in a.
The following information regarding the bluebook citation format is an adapted version of the style and formatting guidelines found in the bluebook, 20th ed. Find out what is the most common shorthand of kelley blue book on abbreviations. Major changes in the 20th edition bluebook 101 library. Any punctuation within the citation, speeches and publications, titles of articles, case names, explanatory phrases, latin legal phrases, and introductory signals have to be underlined or italicized. Under the direction of the supreme court, the reporters office publishes a style sheet for use in preparation of opinions for publication. However, the following are rules and examples for other types of legal documents that many firstyear law students may need to cite in addition to cases and statutes. Blue book value how is blue book value abbreviated. Bluebook table 1 all of the information you need to properly abbreviate state courts and state court reporters is in table 1 of the bluebook. A supreme court case number begins with an s, a court of appeals case number begins with an a, a tax court regular division case number begins with tc, and a tax. Such citations and abbreviations are found in court decisions, statutes, regulations, journal articles, books, and other documents.
A citation style guide that complements the bluebook by setting forth the decisive citation form for texas legal authorities. Court document abbreviations table 8 of 17th edition this table gives suggested abbreviations for citations of court documents and legal memoranda not in the other forms of legal writing for the words most commonly found in the titles of court documents. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. Supreme judicial court style manual, sjc office of the reporter of decisions, 20162017 the manual may be useful to those preparing appellate briefs. A little more than four years ago, the court of appeals dismissed an appeal for, among other things, an attorneys numerous bluebook violations, stating that perhaps counsel would benefit from obtaining a copy of the bluebook for reference in the future. Abbreviations for foreign countries materials are found in table 2. A list of 1 reporters and reporter abbreviations, 2 courts and court abbreviations, and 3 preferred sources to cite for federal courts and each state s courts table 6. For instance, the eleventh circuit court of appeals would be. A uniform system of citation is a legal style guide. The oregon blue book is the official state fact book about all levels of government in oregon. A volume that explains the organization of a state government and provides the names of state officials. The bluebooks abbreviation for constitutionsection or subdivision. A reference book used by members of the legal profession as the definitive authority on legal citation for cases, articles and more. An order granting a rehearing before an en banc panel of the court was reported in volume 968 of the federal reporter, 2d series, beginning on page 984.
The citation formats presented in this guide follow the bluebook. In the trial court, first name is the plaintiff the party bringing the suit and the name after the v. These regional reporters contain appellate case law from all 50 states plus the district of columbia. Feb 05, 2020 provides abbreviations for court names to be used in citing cases according to rule 10.
Common abbreviations and legal citation examples for. Constitution that says that each state shall have two senators. According to the legal studies program, you should use 12 pt. Bluebook abbreviations for courts legal abbreviations for court documents have to start with the courts themselves. It is a composite of those contained in the bluebook and the alwd guide to legal citation. In some cases, it indicates that a word should not be abbreviated. An online version of the bluebook was launched in 2008. Few books cause law students as much dread, pain, anger, and frustration as the bluebook. Related guides princes dictionary of legal abbreviations. If no author is given, begin the citation with the word annotation i.
Citing your sources of information california courts. United states supreme court cases can be found in three separate reporters. By rick mckinney on behalf of and with assistance from members of the legislative research special interest section, law librarians society of washington, d. The citation formats for these sources have been updated to reflect their unique breakdown of information. List of all most popular abbreviated court terms defined. Abbreviations bluebooking tips and resources libguides. If you prefer to search by state supreme court or court. The university of chicago manual of legal citation the maroonbook, 2018 edition designed as an alternative to the bluebook, the maroonbook, as this manual is commonly called, offers a simple, malleable framework for citation, one which. Bluebook basics tuesday, june 14, 1 pm et presented by. Price, bitner and bysiewicz, effective legal research. State abbreviations bb alwd ib state abbreviations 1. Abbreviations bluebooking tips and resources libguides at. The law library has many copies available at law reserve, reference, and at the reference desk, via call number kf 245. A publication that establishes the correct form of case citations or of references to a legal authority showing where information can be found.