The California Reporter (Cal. Rptr.) is a West reporter that publishes decisions from the California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal. The series has progressed through three iterations: Cal. Rptr. (1959--1991), Cal. Rptr. 2d (1991--2003), and Cal. Rptr. 3d (2003--present). Before 1959, California appellate decisions were published only in the official California Reports and the Pacific Reporter.
California Supreme Court decisions are published in both the California Reporter and the Pacific Reporter. Under Bluebook rules, non-California filings and law review articles should cite California Supreme Court cases to the Pacific Reporter (P.2d or P.3d), not the California Reporter. However, California Courts of Appeal decisions that do not appear in the Pacific Reporter should be cited to Cal. Rptr.
California has six appellate districts, and the district must be included in the court abbreviation for Courts of Appeal decisions. The format is (Cal. Ct. App. [year]) for general reference or with the district number when required. The Supreme Court of California is cited simply as (Cal. [year]).
California Court of Appeal
Mitchell v. Gonzales, 1 Cal. Rptr. 2d 913 (Cal. Ct. App. 1991)
Cal. Rptr. 3d
Hernandez v. Robles, 42 Cal. Rptr. 3d 1 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006)
California Supreme Court (P.3d preferred)
In re Marriage Cases, 183 P.3d 384 (Cal. 2008)
Older Cal. Rptr.
Dillon v. Legg, 69 Cal. Rptr. 72 (Cal. 1968)
For non-California filings and law review articles, cite to the Pacific Reporter (P.2d or P.3d). For California state court filings, local rules typically require the official California Reports citation (Cal.2d, Cal.3d, Cal.4th, or Cal.5th).
Use the California Reporter for Courts of Appeal decisions that appear only in Cal. Rptr. Use the Pacific Reporter for Supreme Court decisions in non-California contexts. California Supreme Court decisions appear in both, but the Bluebook preference outside California is the Pacific Reporter.
The transition from Cal. Rptr. 2d to Cal. Rptr. 3d occurred in 2003. Cases decided before that date should be cited to Cal. Rptr. 2d (or Cal. Rptr. for cases before 1991).
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Disclaimer: While this guide follows Bluebook 21st edition rules, always verify citations with official Bluebook resources or your institution's requirements. This content is for educational assistance only.