How to Cite a Case in Bluebook Format: Step-by-Step Guide
Case citations are the backbone of legal writing. Every brief, memo, and law review article relies on them. This guide walks you through each element of a Bluebook case citation, from formatting the case name to adding subsequent history, with real examples from landmark decisions.
The Anatomy of a Bluebook Case Citation
A full Bluebook case citation contains up to six elements. Each element serves a specific purpose: it tells the reader who was involved, where to find the opinion, what page matters, and which court decided the case. Understanding these building blocks makes it easy to construct a citation for any case.
Case Name, Volume Reporter First Page, Pinpoint Page (Court Year).
Here is each element broken down:
Case Name
The names of the parties, italicized, separated by "v." with a period.
Volume Number
The volume of the reporter where the case is published.
Reporter Abbreviation
The abbreviated name of the reporter series (e.g., U.S., F.3d, N.E.2d).
First Page
The page on which the opinion begins in the reporter.
Pinpoint Page (optional)
The specific page you are referencing, placed after a comma.
Court and Year Parenthetical
The deciding court (if not obvious from the reporter) and the year of decision.
Step 1: Format the Case Name
The case name includes the names of the opposing parties, separated by "v." (with a period after the "v"). In academic legal writing (law review style), the case name is italicized. In court documents and practitioner briefs, it is underlined. Always follow your professor's preference.
The Bluebook requires you to abbreviate certain words in case names when they appear in citations (but not when the case name appears in a textual sentence). Consult Bluebook Table T6 for the full list of abbreviations. Common ones include:
Abbreviation Examples
Board → Bd. | Company → Co. | Corporation → Corp. | Railroad → R.R. | University → Univ.
Correct
Palsgraf v. Long Island R.R. Co.
Incorrect
Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Company
Always use "v." (lowercase, with a period) to separate the parties. Never use "vs." or "vs" or "V." in a Bluebook citation. When a case name appears in a textual sentence (as opposed to a citation clause or sentence), do not abbreviate words other than widely recognized abbreviations and procedural phrases.
Step 2: Add Reporter Information
After the case name and a comma, add the volume number, a space, the reporter abbreviation, a space, and the first page of the opinion. The reporter abbreviation must exactly match the Bluebook's format, including spacing and periods.
U.S. Reports (Supreme Court)
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803).
Federal Reporter, Third Series (Circuit Courts)
United States v. Jones, 565 F.3d 1234 (9th Cir. 2009).
Federal Supplement, Third Series (District Courts)
Smith v. City of Chicago, 350 F. Supp. 3d 710 (N.D. Ill. 2018).
Pay close attention to spacing within reporter abbreviations. The Bluebook requires a space between "F." and "Supp." in F. Supp. 3d, but no space between "F." and "3d" in F.3d. These details matter during cite-checking.
Step 3: Add the Pinpoint Citation
A pinpoint citation (also called a "pincite" or "jump cite") directs the reader to the specific page within the opinion that supports your proposition. You should include a pinpoint citation whenever you are referencing a particular passage, holding, or quote. Omit it only when you are citing the case generally.
Place the pinpoint page after the first page, separated by a comma and a space. If you are citing multiple pages, separate them with a comma, a hyphen for a range, or an ampersand.
Single Pinpoint Page
Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954).
Page Range
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 467–73 (1966).
Multiple Pinpoints
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 478–79 (1966).
When citing a page range, retain only the last two digits of the ending page if they differ from the starting page. For example, pages 467 through 473 become 467–73, not 467–473.
Step 4: Add the Court and Year Parenthetical
Every full case citation ends with a parenthetical that includes the year of decision. Whether you also include the court name depends on whether the reporter itself identifies the court. If it does, the court name is omitted to avoid redundancy.
Supreme Court (U.S. Reports) — omit court
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803).
Circuit Court — include court
United States v. Jones, 565 F.3d 1234 (9th Cir. 2009).
District Court — include court
Smith v. City of Chicago, 350 F. Supp. 3d 710 (N.D. Ill. 2018).
The same rule applies to state reporters. If you cite a case to a state-specific reporter (like N.Y. for New York Court of Appeals), you may omit the court name because the reporter identifies the court. But if you cite to a regional reporter (like N.E.2d), you must include the court abbreviation because the regional reporter covers multiple states and courts.
Step 5: Add Subsequent History (If Applicable)
Subsequent history tells the reader what happened to the case after the opinion you are citing. If the case was affirmed, reversed, vacated, or certiorari was denied, you must include that information. The subsequent history follows the date parenthetical, introduced by a comma and an italicized procedural phrase.
Affirmed on appeal
Smith v. Jones, 200 F. Supp. 2d 100 (S.D.N.Y. 2003), aff'd, 350 F.3d 50 (2d Cir. 2004).
Reversed on appeal
Doe v. Roe, 150 F.3d 800 (7th Cir. 2000), rev'd, 530 U.S. 100 (2001).
Cert. denied
Johnson v. State, 300 F.3d 500 (5th Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 1000 (2003).
You may omit denials of certiorari if the case is more than two years old, unless the denial is particularly relevant to your argument. Always include subsequent history that affects the validity of the opinion, such as a reversal or vacatur.
Federal Court Citations
Federal cases are published in different reporter series depending on the level of court. Knowing which reporter to use and when to include the court identifier is critical.
U.S. Supreme Court (cite to U.S. Reports)
Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
No court abbreviation needed — U.S. Reports only publishes Supreme Court opinions.
U.S. Supreme Court (cite to S. Ct. if U.S. Reports unavailable)
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org., 142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022).
Use S. Ct. only when the U.S. Reports citation has not yet been assigned.
U.S. Court of Appeals (Circuit Courts)
Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co., 119 Cal. App. 3d 757 (Ct. App. 1981).
Second Circuit Example
Zervos v. Verizon N.Y., Inc., 252 F.3d 163, 171 (2d Cir. 2001).
U.S. District Court
Williams v. City of New York, 121 F. Supp. 3d 354 (S.D.N.Y. 2015).
Include both the district abbreviation and the state.
For Supreme Court cases, always prefer the U.S. Reports citation when available. The order of preference is: U.S., then S. Ct. (Supreme Court Reporter), then L. Ed. (Lawyers' Edition). Never cite to more than one reporter for the same case in Bluebook format.
State Court Citations
State court citations follow the same general format, but you must consult Bluebook Table T1 for each state's preferred reporter and court abbreviation. Some states have discontinued their official reporters and now use only regional reporters.
New York Court of Appeals
Palsgraf v. Long Island R.R. Co., 248 N.Y. 339 (1928).
N.Y. is the official reporter for the Court of Appeals, so no court abbreviation is needed.
California Supreme Court
Greenman v. Yuba Power Prods., Inc., 59 Cal. 2d 57 (1963).
Texas Supreme Court
Torrington Co. v. Stutzman, 46 S.W.3d 829 (Tex. 2000).
Texas discontinued its official reporter, so cite to the regional reporter with the court abbreviation.
Illinois Appellate Court
Anderson v. City of Chicago, 250 N.E.2d 500 (Ill. App. Ct. 1975).
Include both the state and the specific court level when it is not the highest court.
The key rule to remember: if the reporter name tells you the court, omit the court from the parenthetical. If it does not (as with regional reporters), include the court. Always check Table T1 for the specific state.
Common Formatting Errors to Avoid
Using "vs." instead of "v."
The correct abbreviation in legal citations is always "v." with a lowercase v and a period. Never use "vs." or "vs" or "V." in a Bluebook citation.
Omitting the period after "v"
The period is required. It is "v." not "v" — the period indicates an abbreviation of the Latin word "versus."
Including the court for Supreme Court cases cited to U.S. Reports
Write (1954), not (U.S. 1954). The U.S. Reports only publishes Supreme Court opinions, so the court name is redundant.
Getting reporter spacing wrong
It is F.3d (no space), but F. Supp. 3d (with spaces). It is S. Ct. (with a space), not S.Ct. Consult Table T1 for each reporter's exact format.
Failing to abbreviate party names in citations
In a citation sentence or clause, abbreviate words listed in Table T6. "Board of Education" becomes "Bd. of Educ." and "Company" becomes "Co."
Omitting pinpoint citations
Always include the specific page number when you are referencing a particular point. A citation without a pinpoint tells the reader where the case starts but not where your proposition is supported.
Forgetting subsequent history that affects validity
If the opinion you cite was later reversed, vacated, or overruled, you must disclose that. Citing a reversed opinion without noting the reversal is a serious error.
Using the wrong reporter for Supreme Court cases
Always prefer U.S. Reports. Only use S. Ct. or L. Ed. when the U.S. Reports volume has not yet been published. Never cite to multiple reporters for the same case.