Advocacy (24 LITG 501): Federal Law Research

Bluebook

Rule 12.4 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of session laws. The Bluepages B12.1.1 and Table 1 should also be consulted. The citation should include the following:

Elements

• Title of Act
  • Use official or popular name if one exists
  • Otherwise identify the act with the date of enactment or effectiveness (abbreviated per T. 12)
• Volume (if no volume, give the year)
• Abbreviated name of session law publication (see  T. 1)
• Pages and sections (if pinpoint citing give the beginning page and the relevant page to which you are citing)
• Year of enactment (if no date of enactment, use effective date)
• Codification information (as a parenthetical)

Examples:

Immigration and Nationality Act, Pub. L. No. 82-414, § 101, 66 Stat. 163, 167 (1952) (codified as amended at 8 U.S.C. § 1101).

Act of Dec. 31, 1996, Pub. Act 89-685, 1996 Ill. Laws 685 (codified as amended at 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/3-107).

Act of Apr. 12, 1994, § 2, 1993-1994 Ohio Laws 6546, 6548-50.

Am. S. B. No. 47, 2013 Ohio Legis. Serv. Ann. L-13, L-23 (West) (codified as amended at Ohio Rev. Stat. § 3503.06).

Am. S. B. No. 47, 2013 Ohio Legis. Bull. 24, 39, (Lexis) (codified as amended at Ohio Rev. Stat. § 3503.06).

ALWD

Rule 14.6 & 14.8 in the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of session laws.

Elements

• Title of Act
  • Use official or popular name if one exists (omit "the")
  • Otherwise identify the act with the date of enactment or effectiveness (abbreviated per Appx. 3(A))
• Law abbreviation
• The abbreviation "No."
• Law number
• Pinpoint reference (if applicable)
• Volume
• Abbreviated name of session law publication (See Appx. 1)
• Pages and sections (if pinpoint citing give the beginning page and the relevant page to which you are citing)
• Year
• Codification information (as a parenthetical)

Examples

Immigration and Nationality Act, Pub. L. No. 82-414, § 101, 66 Stat. 163, 167 (1952) (codified as amended at 8 U.S.C. § 1101).

Act of Apr. 12, 1994, § 2, 1993-1994 Ohio Laws 6546, 6548-50.

Bluebook

Rule 12 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) covers the citation of statutes.

Elements

• Name and original section number as it appears in the session laws (only if the statute is commonly cited that way)
• Title, Chapter, or Volume (see  T. 1, 1.3)
• Code (cite to the official code if at all possible)
• Section
• Publisher, editor or compiler (unless the code is published by or under the supervision of government officials)
• Year (optional for federal codes) (on spine or title page if available, otherwise year on title page, and if not that, the copyright year)
• Supplements (see Rule 3.1 to cite any material appearing in supplements)

Examples:

42 U.S.C.§ 1983.

8 U.S.C. §§ 1187-89.

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (West 2007).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (LexisNexis 2009).

Citing to Online Codes -- Rule 12.5 and 18.3:

The Bluebook requires you to cite to the official code if it is available. If citing to a statute that is available on a commercial online service such as Lexis or Westlaw, provide the following:

• Title, Chapter, or Volume (see  T. 1)
• Code (cite to the official code if at all possible)
• Section
• Publisher, editor or compiler
• Name of the database
• Currency of the database

Examples:

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (Lexis, Lexis Advance current with legis. passed by the 132d General Assemb. and filed with the Sec. of State through file 178 (HB 532)).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (West, Westlaw through File 42 of the 132d General Assemb. (2017-2018) and 2017 State Issue 1).

ALWD

Rule 14 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citations to codes.

Elements

A citation to the Federal statutes should include the following:

• Title number (if applicable)
• Code Abbreviation (cite to official code where possible - see Appendix 1)
• Section
• Publisher (if unofficial)
• Date

Examples

42 U.S.C.§ 1983 (2006).

8 U.S.C. §§ 1187-89 (2006 & Supp. IV 2011).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (West 2007).

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.06 (LexisNexis 2009).

Online Codes

• Use regular citation form but add the name of the database provider and currency information

Bluebook

Rule 10 of The Bluebook (21st ed. 2020) governs the citation of cases.

The citation should include the following:

Elements

• Case Name - first listed parties on each side (italicized or underlined) (use T. 6)
• Volume
• Reporter (see T. 1)
• Page
• Court and jurisdiction in parenthetical (see T.1, T.7, T.10)
• Year in parenthetical
• Subsequent History after parenthetical (if applicable)

Example:

United States v. Prince Line, Ltd., 189 F.2d 386, 387 (2d Cir. 1951).

Explanation:

• Case Name:  Note there is no abbreviation of United States per 10.2.2.  Abbreviate Ltd. Per R. 10.2.1(c), T.6. 
• Reporter:  Abbreviate the F.2d reporter per R. 6 (single adjacent caps), R. 6.2(b)(ii) (no superscript, use 2d instead of 2nd) & T.1.
• Court:  Abbreviate Second Circuit per R. 6, T.1, T.7.  Note that there is no superscript per R. 6.2(b)(ii).

ALWD

Rule 12 of the ALWD Citation Manual (7th ed.) covers the citation of cases.

Elements

• Case Name - first listed parties on each side (italicized or underlined) (see chart 12.1)
• Volume
• Reporter (see chart 12.2, local court rules - Appendix 2, )
• Page
• Court and jurisdiction (see Appendices 1 and 4 for court abbreviations)
• Year
• Subsequent History (if applicable)

Example

United States v. Prince Line, Ltd., 189 F.2d 386, 387 (2d Cir. 1951).