Bluebook Citation

The most commonly used location reference is a case's location in a reporter. There are four parts to location portion of a citation:

1. Volume Number:  Give the volume number of the reporter set that published the case.
2. Reporter Set:  Give the abbreviated name, referring to T1 [NOTE: cases are sometimes published in multiple journals.  Refer to T1 to determine the correct reporter set to cite to.  T1 will alert you if there is a specific reporter you are to report to in a note following the reporter name].
3. Page Number:  Cite the first page of the case.
4. Pinpoint Page:  The page in which the relevant information you are citing can be found.  This is used unless you are referring to a case in general.

For example, a case published in the Southwestern Reporter would have the format:  

[3 S.W.2d 455, 465]

Rule 10.3.2 gives the rules for citing a reporter.

Some jurisdictions use the court's geographic location as the location cite. This is known as a Public Domain cite, and generally consists of:

1. Year:  The year the case was heard.
2. State:  The state in which the case was heard.
3. Number: The number assigned to the case by the court.

Rule 10.3.3 outlines how to cite a public domain case. If a citation is available for the case in a regional reporter, this must be placed before the public domain cite.

Handy reference to ensure your case location is cited correctly:

• Volume number listed first.
• Correctly abbreviate the reporter.
• Adjacent single capitals must be closed (refer to Rule 6.1(a)).
• List the first page of the case.
• Check for extra spaces.