Using Legal Citations

is underlined, and only the parties last names (if individuals) is used. The name of the reporter (or the books in which the cases are published in a given jurisdiction) is abbreviated (i.e., U.S., S.Ct., F.2d, So.2d, etc.).<br><br> The pinpoint cite points the reader to the specific page in the source on which the cited proposition can be found (may consist of a page range, in which case you indicate the first and last page of the range separated by one dash, i.e., 92-97). Immediately following the page reference, is the abbreviated name of the deciding court followed by the year of the decision. However, when citing decisions of the United States Supreme Court, do not include the name of the deciding courts.<br><br> Also, cite to the U.S. Reporter ( cU.S. d) when citing a U.S. Supreme Court case, if available; otherwise, cit to the Supreme Court Reporter ( cS.Ct. d).<br><br> Once you have provided one full citation to an authority, you are free to use a cshort form d in later citations to the same authority, so long as (1) it will be clear to the reader from the short form what is being referenced; (2) the earlier full citation falls in the same general discussion; and (3) the reader will have little trouble quickly locating the full citation. There are various short forms that may be used for case citations, by they all include a pinpoint cite, preceded by cat. d For example: Brooks , 162 So. 2d at 100.<br><br> o This is the general short form used when no mention of the case name is contained in the preceding sentence. 162 So. 2d at 100.<br><br> o This form is used if you 9ve cited the name of the case in the sentence immediately preceding the citation. Id. , or Id.<br><br> at 100. o This is the short form used to refer to the immediately preceding authority (including the exact pinpoint cite). If the case has been previously cited, but is not immediately preceding the point where you want to use the short form, (i.e., a different case or authority has been cited), you must use the form indicated at bullet #1.<br><br> Also if the pinpoint cite is different, use cid . at ???. d. Notice that the underline runs under the period, and the ci d is only capitalized when it begins a citation sentence.<br><br> B. Statutes 4when citing state statutes, refer to an official code whenever possible. For example: Full Citation Short Citation 28 U.S.C.<br><br> § 1331 (2000) Id. § 1332(a)(1) § 800.17, Fla. Stat.<br><br> (2000) Id. § 800.17(a) Always spell out words when using citations within sentences (i.e., cSection 800.17, Florida Statutes (2000) d). C.<br><br> Constitutions 4Examples: United States o Art. IV, § 2, cl. 2 o U.S.<br><br> Const. Amend. V Florida o Art.<br><br> V, § 2(b)(3), Fla. Const. Sometimes, you see the words csee d or csee also d preceding a citation.<br><br> cSee d is referred to as a csignal, d which is used to clarify or qualify the connection between the text and the citation. Specifically, csee d means that the authority cited clearly supports the proposition with which the citation is associated. cSee also d means that the authority is additional support for the proposition with which the citation is associated (but less direct than that indicated by csee d).<br><br> It is commonly used to refer readers to authorities already cited or discussed. Again, it is not necessary that you follow the exact legal citation form used in the sample brief. Do the best you can.<br><br> We are more concerned with the arguments you choose to make.

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