Bluebook 19th Edition

Some Easy Rules

Cases
1. Case names are either italicized or underlined. Pick one method and be consistent. Rule 1B. The comma is neither underlined nor italicized. Rule B4 2. Case citations appear within the text. Do not footnote. They can appear as separate citation sentences (starting with a capital letter and ending with a period) or clauses (separated by commas).

Cases Citation Information

1. A full citation contains the name of the case, the volume number, the reporter, the initial page number and (in parens) (the state and court level, if not indicated by the reporter, and the year). Rule B4 2. The parties are separated by a v. (not vs. or versus) 3. A full citation never contains an at.

Names of the Parties

1. Omit all parties other than the first listed on each side of the v. Rule B4.1.1 2. Omit first names of the parties (Brown v. Green, not Gerald Brown v. Reginald Green). Rule B4.1.1 3. Omit et al. and alternative names. Id. 4. Change procedural phrases (e.g. on behalf of etc.) as indicated in Rule B4.1.1.

Names of the Parties (Continued)

5. Always abbreviate any word listed on Table 6 in a citation sentence. Some longer names may also be abbreviated, if they are readily recognized (NAACP). Rule B4.1.1(v) 6. When referring to the case in a textual sentence, only abbreviate the following words: &; Assn; Bros.; Co.; Corp.; Inc.; Ltd. And No. See also Rule 10.2.1 for other rules.

Pinpoint Citations
1. You must let the reader know the precise page of the case where the information or quote can be found. This is called a pinpoint citation. 2. In a full citation, the pinpoint cite follows the first page of the case, separated by a comma. Rule B4.1.2. Lazar v. Thermal Equip. Co., 195 Cal. Rptr. 890, 893 (Ct. App. 1983). 3. If pinpoint citing to consecutive pages, where the page numbers are more than three or more digits, retain the last two digits and drop the rest. Lazar v. Thermal Equip. Co., 195 Cal. Rptr. 890, 892-93 (Ct. App. 1983).

Pinpoint Citations Continued

4. When pinpoint citing to multiple pages, which are not consecutive, list each page separated by commas. Rule 4.1.2 5. When pinpoint citing to a footnote, (1) give the page on which the footnote is found; (2) n.; (3) footnote number. Rule B4.1.2.

Case Citations Continued

1. When citing to the United States Supreme Court, include only the year in the citation. 2. For Federal Court cases, include the District or the Circuit information in the parens, along with the year of decision. 3. For state cases, cite to the regional reporter if the case appears therein. Ex: P. If not, cite to the states official reporter. Ex. Cal. Rptr. 4. For state cases, include the state and level in the parens unless it is clearly conveyed by the reporter title. Ex. P. would need a state and level. Rule B.4.3 Citation Rules for cases appearing only within Lexis/Nexus and/or Westlaw are contained in Rule B4.1.4.

Short Cites
1.Short cites may be used after fully citing a case. 2. Short cites always have an at. 3. Use the first name of the parties. Ex: Lazar, 195 Cal. Rptr. at 892. The Bluebook also permits the following form: 195 Cal. Rptr. at 892. This is probably not a good idea, as it is hard on the reader. Rule B.4.2

Short Cites Continued Id.

1. Id. may be used when it refers to the IDENTICAL previous cite. If there are any differences (prior cite contains more than one authority; prior cite has a parenthetical explanation which would differ, etc.), use a short cite instead. 2. To refer to a different page, use at. Id. at 892. 3. Id. Is underlined (or italicized), including the period. 4. Never use supra when citing to cases. (Rule 4.2) Rule 4.2; 4.1

State Statutes
1. Cite to the official code. For California, see page 231. 2. For California, the cite would include Cal. [Subject Civ./Penal/Bus. & Prof., etc] Code Section Sign, Section No.; (Publisher (either West or Deering) and the year). The latter two pieces of information are in parens. Rule B5.1.2 and Page 231-32. 3. For statutory short cites, see B5.2. Id. May be used for the identical provision.

Capitalization
Court Capitalize court when (1) naming any court in full; (2) referring to the US Supreme court; or (3) referring to the court that will be receiving the document. Rule B7.3.1. Parties Capitalize plaintiff, defendant, etc. when referring to the parties who are the subject matter of your document. Rule B7.3.2. Court Documents See above rule. Rule B7.3.3. For other capitalization rules, See Rule 8.

Signals
Signals let the reader know how the cases are connected. 1. No signal authority directly states the proposition. Rule B3.1 2. Contra authority directly states the opposite of the proposition. 3. E.g. other authorities also directly state the proposition. Rule B3.2 4. See authority supports, but does not directly state, the proposition Rule B3.3.

Signals Continued
Signals are underlined or italicized. Signals can be used together (ExSee also). Parenthetical explanations explaining the cases are highly encouraged. Other useful signals may be found in Rule 1.2. Order of signals See Rule 1.3.

Parenthetical Explanations
1. Parenthetical explanations may be used to:
Provide information indicating the weight of the authority. Ex (Powell, J., dissenting) Explain the relevance of the case. Use either a present participle, or a short quotation. These are one sentences. Lazar v. Thermal Equip. Corp., 195 Cal. Rptr. 890 (Ct. App. 1983)(holding that employee acted within the scope of employment partially because his deviation was minor). Rule B4.1.5; B11, Rule 1.5 To indicate that the court is quoting from another source. Rule 5.2; Rule 10.6.2

Quotations
1. Use quotation marks. Punctuation is inside the quotation marks. Rule B12.1 2. Quotations of 50 or more words:
No quotation marks Indent right and left Citation appears at the left margin, and is Not indented. B12.2; 5.1

Quotations Continued
1. When altering a quotation (such as changing from upper or lower case or substituting words), use brackets ([ ]). 2. When indicating a mistake in the original, use [sic]. Rule 5.2 3. Omission of word/words is indicated by three periods separated by spaces and by spaces before and after the first and last period. Rule 5.3

Quotations
Do not use an ellipsis to begin a quote. Do not use an ellipsis when the word or words are being altered. Indicate omitted footnotes by using a parenthetical explanation. Rule 5.3

Numbers
Spell out 0-99. Round numbers may be spelled out if done consistently. When a series of numbers includes numbers over and under 99, use numerals for all of them. (117, 6 and 28 pounds). Numerals are used for section numbers. Spell out Section in text. Do not use a Section sign. Rule 6.2