Mar 23, 2017 the most common set of rules for legal citation is the bluebook, currently in its 19th edition. Your guide to using the bluebook, nyu law library interactive citation workbook for the bluebook, lexisnexis digital. Sep 04, 2019 a citation is a reference to a legal authority. D, cases among other information, this publication provides a chart outlining official and unofficial reporters for decisions emanating out of a range of courts and entities. Blue pages this guide covers the bluebook s white pages, which provide citation rules for academic papers. Guides to the bluebook bluebook citation libguides at.
It takes practice to learn the rules of any citation method. This exercise is to help users learn the rules of proper citation form for briefs and legal memoranda. Learning how to cite a memorandum according to the bluebook allows you to support your argument with the memo. Both the style manual and new york rules cite the bluebook as a source of general rules on citation. N in a correspondence footnote citation include the author of the letter as well as the recipient, the date, the record creator, archives information, the series number, boxfolder number, and. According to the bluebook citation guide, case names are underlined in legal memoranda and court documents. Constitution and state constitutions a citation to a constitution includes three elements. Whether you are learning how to cite a textbook in bluebook format. How to read a legal citation locating legal information. The bluebook requires citation to printed material provided it is available, unless there is an authenticated, official, or exact digital copy of the printed sources. A uniform system of citation, is the style manual for citing to legal documents within the united states. A short pamphlet explaining basic bluebook rules for court documents including examples and citations to the relevant bluebook rules. References since they are considered unrecoverable information, unlike books and articles, personal communications are not part of the references page in apa style. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law.
This is not a comprehensive citation reference work. The bluebook supports numerous sources in law writing. The format of these citations depends solely on the kind of source that the writer cites in his or her writing. If the citation is to an opinion issued in conjunction with the. It is now in its 20th edition, more than an inch thick, and consists of over 500 pages of guidance on legal citation.
In general, you would treat an mou as a unpublished or informally published work, and the authors would be the various organizations. How to cite a memo with a bluebook pen and the pad. Presidential papers, proclamations, and executive orders are first published in the federal register, and later appear in title 3 of the code of federal regulations c. A uniform system of citation exemplifies hypertrophy in the anthropological sense. Jul 19, 2019 the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. Getting to grips with the memorandum of understanding. Citation formats exist for many different types of legal sources including cases, statutes and secondary legal materials. A practical guide to mastering legal citation, nyu law library citechecker. Blue pages this guide covers the bluebooks white pages, which provide citation rules for academic papers. 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.
An affidavit citation should include the affiants last name and the paragraph number where the cited information is found in the affidavit. Effective writing tips for the judicial interns and law clerks the trial court bench memorandum. An example of a bluebook citation for a case includes the cases name. Building on that understanding and an explanation of the process of using citations in legal writing, the book then discusses and illustrates the particular rules of the bluebook and the alwd citation manual for citing cases, statutes, and all other major legal sources. Although it is intended to highlight the bluebook, and not substitute for it, we hope this guide. The format for parenthetical citations and the reference page varies from the typical structure when using a source such as a memorandum. However, because it is neither possible nor desirable to write a particular rule for every sort of citation problem that. It is essential that citations to legal materials follow a standard format so that anyone using a law library may find the resources cited. This guide provides information on federal tax law and. During a legal proceeding, a legal citation analysis i. Citation to international sources, 1 such as a treaty or a case decided by an international court, is governed by rule 21 of the bluebook.
This is the abbreviation that should always be included in a citation for an affidavit to indicate that it is an affidavit being referenced. The bluebook contains rules that prescribe how to cite a variety of legal documents. 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. Internet citation bluebook citation 101 practitioner. Do not end a citation clause with a period, unless it is the last clause in the sentence. Executive documents presidential papers, proclamations and. Basic citation of a treaty or international agreement. The ode guidance memoranda, affectionately referred to as blue book memos, clarify these guidelines and will be added to this list as they become available. This will depend on which citation method you are using apa, mla, chicago, etc.
However, students working on academic papers should consult understanding and mastering the bluebook instead. The articulated grounds of past judicial decisions are, in many instances, binding precedent for currently litigated matters. A uniform system of citation is generally the default legal citation manual. 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. Bt2 jurisdictionspecific citation rules and style guides. Learning how to cite a memorandum according to the bluebook allows you to. Subject matter is the description that appears as part of the title of the actual agreement. Bluebooking scholarly legal writing bluebook signals explained citations to international agreements, cases and arbitration under bluebook rule 21. Citation format examples for footnotes general rules times new roman, size 10, 1 line spacing, justified. Convention, treaty, understanding, memorandum of agreement, etc.
The intext citation therefore includes the authors first initial. Under other circumstances, they are persuasive authority. The bluebooks abbreviation for constitutionsection or subdivision. Users should be guided by the following four principles, listed in order of importance. Select the interactive citation workstation from the topleft pull down. Executive documents presidential papers, proclamations. Creating effective rule statements a guide to reading, interpreting and applying. If you do not see an example that matches your source type, consult one of the additional resources for your style. If the procedural posture of the case is important information it can be summarized in a parenthetical phrase following the date. It is a monstrous growth, remote from the functional need for legal citation forms, that serves obscure needs of the legal culture and its student subculture.
Few books cause law students as much dread, pain, anger, and frustration as the bluebook the bluebook, formally titled the bluebook. Citation machine helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. Rule 21 also covers citation to documents published by certain intergovernmental organizations, such as the united nations, european union, and world trade. Do not begin a citation clause with a capital letter unless the citation clause begins with a source that would otherwise be capitalized. Therefore, this statute can be found at section 1982 of title 42 of the 2011 version of the united states code. Do not begin a citation clause with a capital letter unless the citation clause. The bluebook also has citation rules for legal memoranda and other practiceoriented materials the blue pages, which students in lrwa2 use for their memo assignments.
Its limited aim is to serve as a tutorial on how to cite the most widely referenced types of u. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Memorandum from the ad hoc committee on women and clerkships, to the faculty of yale law school 14 feb. Needless to say, it is large, a bit unwieldy, and challenging at first. Sep 06, 2019 a short pamphlet explaining basic bluebook rules for court documents including examples and citations to the relevant bluebook rules. These sources include statutes, supreme court cases, and other law cases. Constitution that says that each state shall have two senators. A uniform system of citation and interactive citation workbook for alwd guide to legal citation new york. But it contains too many mistakes to be useful as a text. N memorandum citations like correspondence citations must include the author of the memorandum and the recipient of the memorandum, the date, the record creator, the record title, archives information, series number, boxfolder number, and the location number. It is a monstrous growth, remote from the functional need for legal citation forms, that serves.
The third and most difficult type of question presents the user with the necessary information and requires him to write the citation. The citation should give the reader enough information to locate the cited material without further assistance. It initially focuses on conventions that underlie all accepted forms and systems of legal citation. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. For more information on statutory citation, see rule 12 or table 1 of the bluebook.
Memorandum from the ad hoc committee on women and clerkships, to the faculty of yale. Bluebook citation for llm students bluebook citation for. The intext citation therefore includes the authors first initial and last name in normal order along with a notation indicating personal communication without the quotation marks and a specific date in month. If the name includes more than one form, use only the first form that appears on the title page, unless.
Citations to international agreements, cases and arbitration under bluebook rule 21. Name of the agreement form and subject matter form indicates the type of agreement, i. More often than not, it is much easier to read a citation than to cite. A good starting point if you are working on a brief or other court document. Oct 24, 2018 building on that understanding and an explanation of the process of using citations in legal writing, the book then discusses and illustrates the particular rules of the bluebook and the alwd citation manual for citing cases, statutes, and all other major legal sources. The citation in apa style typically includes the authors last name and a year of publication, but personal communications differ. Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebook s unique system of citation in their writing. For example, here is how you would cite the provision of the u.
748 12 521 1590 845 1524 1335 1314 1022 888 1188 149 1322 19 556 1542 1036 1425 258 272 831 195 846 828 914 655 98 929 549 528 471