In the legal world, referencing case law accurately is crucial for building persuasive arguments and ensuring clarity when creating and responding to legal motions and briefs. Each case’s citation provides a roadmap on where to locate the exact case being discussed, regardless of the court system or the legal reporter used. In this post well delve into the anatomy of a case law citation using examples from various courts, including the United States Supreme Court.

What is a Case Law Citation?

A case law citation is a roadmap detailing where to find a specific case to support an argument or legal position. Every winning legal motion by an attorney or a self-represented defendant will use case law citations to support the position being argued. Understanding and using case citations are crucial regardless of whether a case is criminal or civil in nature.

Required Components to a Case Law Citation

A case law citation always requires specific components, arranged in this order:

  1. the case name 
  2. the volume (book number) of a reporter wherein the case is located 
  3. the abbreviated name of the reporter series in which the case appears 
  4. the first page number within the reporter’s volume where the case begins  and,
  5. the year the case was decided.

A case citation example using these minimal components would be: Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: Strickland v. Washington.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number 466.
  3. The Reporter Series: U.S.
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 668.
  5. The Year the Case Was Decided: 1984.

Optional Components to a Case Law Citation

Case law citations may also contain optional or additional components. Additional components can include:

  1. a secondary page number identifying the specific page where a referenced quote or legal analysis would be found  and,
  2. additional information identifying the specific court which rendered the decision.

A case citation example using these additional components would be: Vando v. Clark, 652 F.Supp.3d 509, 512 (E.D. Pa. 2023). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: Vando v. Clark.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number: 652.
  3. The Reporter Series: F.Supp.3d.
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 509.
  5. A Secondary Page Reference: 512.
  6. The Court Rendering the Decision: E.D. Pa. (Eastern District of Pennsylvania).
  7. The Year the Case Was Decided: 2023.
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Specific Court Case Law Citation Examples

With a foundational understanding of how a case law citation works, lets expand and look at some specific court examples:

U.S. Supreme Court Case Law Citations

The United States Supreme Court follows the standard citation structure, but utilize three primary reporters. These include: United States Reports (U.S.), Supreme Court Reporter (S.Ct.), Supreme Court Reporter, Lawyers Edition (L.Ed.), and Supreme Court Reporter, Lawyers Edition, Second Series (L.Ed.2d).

Consider the case example of: Brown v. Board of Education, 74 S.Ct. 686 (1954). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: Brown v. Board of Education.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number: 74.
  3. The Reporter Series: S.Ct.
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 686.
  5. The Year the Case Was Decided: 1954.

Federal Appellate Court Case Law Citations

Federal appellate courts follow the standard citation structure, but differ in the reporter series used. Federal appellate courts have their own reporter series. These include: the Federal Reporter (F.d), Federal Reporter, Second Series (F.2d), Federal Reporter, Third Series (F.3d), and Federal Reporter, Fourth Series (F.4th).

Consider the case example: Wright v. Giuliani, 230 F.3d 543, 545 (2nd Cir. 2000). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: Wright v. Giuliani.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number: 230.
  3. The Reporter Series: F.3d.
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 543.
  5. An Additional Page Reference: 545 identifying wherein a specific quote or reference is found.
  6. The Circuit Court Rendering the Decision: 2nd Cir. (Second Circuit Court of Appeals).
  7. The Year the Case Was Decided: 2000.

Federal District Court Case Law Citations

Federal district courts follow the standard citation structure, but differ in the reporter series used. Federal district courts have their own reporter series. These include: the Federal Supplement (F.Supp.), Federal Supplement, Second Series (F.Supp.2d), and Federal Supplement, Third Series (F.Supp.3d).

Consider the case example: Joseph v. Conway, 671 F.Supp.3d 248, 251 (E.D. N.Y. 2023). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: Joseph v. Conway.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number: 671.
  3. The Reporter Series: F.Supp.3d
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 248.
  5. An Additional Page Reference: 251 identifying wherein a specific quote or reference is found.
  6. The Federal District Court Rendering the Decision: E.D. N.Y. (Eastern District Court of New York).
  7. The Year the Case Was Decided: 2023.

State Court Case Law Citations

State court citations follow the standard citation structure but differ in the reporter series used. State court decisions are often found in multiple state reporters and within a geographical district reporter as well. District reporters include the: Atlantic Reporter (A.d), Northeastern Reporter (N.E.), Northwestern Reporter (N.W), Pacific Reporter (P.d), Southeastern Reporter (S.E), Southwestern Reporter (S.W.) and the Southern Reporter (So). These district reporters can also have second and third series associated with them.

Consider the case example: State v. Lantz, 245 Ariz. 451, 452 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2018). In this citation we find:

  1. The Case Name: State v. Lantz.
  2. The Reporter Volume Number: 245.
  3. The Reporter Series: Ariz. for the Arizona Reporter.
  4. The Starting Page Number Within the Reporter: 451.
  5. An Additional Page Reference: 452 identifying wherein a specific quote or reference is found.
  6. The State Court Rendering the Decision: Ariz. Ct. App. (Arizona Court of Appeals).
  7. The Year the Case Was Decided: 2018.

This same case is also found in the Pacific Reporter (because the Pacific Reporter covers the state of Arizona) and could be parallel cited as: State v. Lantz, 430 P.3d 1262, 1263 (Ariz. 2018).

My Final Thoughts

Understanding the structure and organization of case law citations is fundamental for legal practitioners to navigate the vast landscape of judicial opinions effectively. By mastering legal case citation structure, individuals can understand and bolster the validity of a motion or brief’s legal arguments.

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