Case Citation: Purpose, Structure, and

Journal Context
Purpose of Case Citation
A case citation serves as a reference to a specific legal case.A
case citation is a reference to a legal precedent or authority,
such as a case, statute, or treatise. It's a way for legal
professionals to understand case decisions It allows readers to
locate the full text of a case and provides key details about the
case's origin, court, and date of decision. Its purposes include:
1. Legal Precedent: Lawyers and judges use citations to
refer to authoritative precedents that may impact legal
reasoning.
2. Academic Reference: Scholars use citations in journals
and articles to substantiate legal theories or critiques.
3. Research Tool: Researchers and practitioners use
citations to find cases relevant to specific legal issues.
Structure of a Case Citation
A typical case citation includes several components, formatted
based on jurisdictional standards. For example, in the U.S.
system:
 Case Name: Parties involved (e.g., Brown v. Board of
Education).
 Volume Number: The volume of the reporter where the
case is published.
 Reporter Name: The series where the case is reported
(e.g., U.S. for United States Reports).
 Page Number: The starting page of the case.
 Year: Year of the decision (in parentheses).
 Court Information (optional in some systems): The
deciding court.
Example: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Case Citation in Journals
In legal journals:
1. Citation Style: Adheres to specific formats like The
Bluebook in the U.S., OSCOLA in the U.K., or MLA for
interdisciplinary use.
2. Inline Use: Embedded within text to link legal arguments
or analysis to judicial authority.
3. Bibliography/Footnotes: Listed systematically for
comprehensive referencing.
Example in Journal Context:
A discussion on racial equality might cite:
"As established in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), segregation
violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."
Basic Case Citation Forms
Case citation formats vary by jurisdiction and legal system, but here are the
foundational elements and examples for some common systems:

1. United States
Structure:
 Case Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).
 Example:
o Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Explanation:
 Case Name: Names of the parties involved (plaintiff v. defendant).
 Volume: Reporter volume number.
 Reporter: Abbreviation of the case reporter (e.g., U.S. for United States
Reports).
 Page: Starting page of the case.
 Court & Year: Optional in some reporters if the court is obvious, like in
U.S. Reports.

2. United Kingdom (Neutral Citation)

Structure:
 Case Name [Year] Court Abbreviation Case Number.
 Example:
o R v. Smith [2001] EWCA Crim 1234.

Explanation:
 Year: In square brackets, indicating when the case was decided.
 Court Abbreviation: Indicates the court (e.g., EWCA Crim = England and
Wales Court of Appeal, Criminal Division).
 Case Number: Unique identifier assigned by the court.

4. International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Structure:
 Case Name (Party v. Party), Year I.C.J. Page.
 Example:
o The Gambia v. Myanmar, 2020 I.C.J. 1.

5. India
Structure:
 Case Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).
 Example:
o Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225.

Explanation:
 Reporter: Common reporters include SCC (Supreme Court Cases) or AIR
(All India Reporter).
 Court: Often inferred from the reporter (e.g., SCC = Supreme Court of
India).

Tips for Using Case Citations:

1. Always use the citation style required by your jurisdiction or legal system.
2. Maintain consistency in formatting (e.g., italicizing case names).
3. For journals, consult style guides like The Bluebook (U.S.) or OSCOLA
(U.K.).
Would you like a detailed guide for any specific jurisdiction?
The Bluebook Citation Method for Legal Cases
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is widely used in the United States
for legal citation. Here’s a comprehensive guide to citing cases using the
Bluebook method:

1. Basic Structure
 Case Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).
Example: Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
Elements Explained:
 Case Name: Italicized (or underlined if handwritten).
o Omit first names, middle names, initials, "Inc.," and "Ltd." unless
necessary for clarity.
o Example: International Business Machines v. Johnson → IBM v.
Johnson.
 Volume: The reporter’s volume number.
o Example: "410" in 410 U.S. 113.

 Reporter: The abbreviation of the publication where the case is reported.

o Common examples:

 U.S. (United States Reports)

 F.3d (Federal Reporter, Third Series)
 S. Ct. (Supreme Court Reporter)
 Page: The page where the case begins.
o Example: "113" in 410 U.S. 113.

 Court and Year: Abbreviation for the court and the year of decision.
o Only include the court if not apparent from the reporter.

o Example: Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

2. Detailed Examples
a. Supreme Court Cases
 Example: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
o No court abbreviation is necessary since the reporter (U.S.) implies
the Supreme Court.
b. Federal Appeals Cases
 Example: Doe v. Smith, 456 F.3d 789 (7th Cir. 2006).
o "7th Cir." refers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

c. Federal District Court Cases

 Example: Smith v. Jones, 123 F. Supp. 2d 456 (E.D. Va. 2000).
o "E.D. Va." refers to the Eastern District of Virginia.

d. State Court Cases

 Example: Johnson v. State, 245 N.Y. 543, 158 N.E. 66 (1927).
o "N.Y." refers to the New York Court of Appeals.

3. Short Form Citation

Once a case has been fully cited, you can use a short form for subsequent
references:
 Case Name only: Roe, 410 U.S. at 120.
 Reporter and page only: 410 U.S. at 120.

4. Special Rules

 Multiple Parties: Use the first party on each side and omit additional parties.

o Example: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka → Brown v. Board of

Education.

 Italicization: Italicize case names in text and footnotes.

o Example (in text): The court in Brown v. Board of Education held...

 Parentheses: Always place the year in parentheses, along with court

abbreviations when necessary.

5. Parallel Citations
In jurisdictions requiring multiple reporters:
 Example: Smith v. Jones, 123 U.S. 456, 67 S. Ct. 890, 91 L. Ed. 2d 123
(1945).

6. Pinpoint Citations
To cite a specific page or passage:
 Example: Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 120 (1973).