Bluebook Citation Guide

South Eastern Reporter Citations (S.E., S.E.2d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Overview

The South Eastern Reporter is a West regional reporter that publishes state court decisions from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The series has two iterations: S.E. (1887--1939) and S.E.2d (1939--present).

Like the North Western Reporter, the South Eastern Reporter has not progressed to a third series. S.E.2d remains current for all modern decisions. Virginia, the largest jurisdiction by appellate volume in this reporter, has two appellate courts: the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The Supreme Court of Virginia is cited simply as "Va." and the Court of Appeals as "Va. Ct. App." in the date parenthetical.

Several landmark cases appear in the South Eastern Reporter, particularly from Virginia (which has a robust common law tradition) and Georgia. When citing to S.E. or S.E.2d, follow standard Bluebook regional reporter rules: include the case name, volume, reporter designation, first page, optional pinpoint page, and the court/year parenthetical.

Formatting Rules

  • Include the state and court abbreviation in the date parenthetical, e.g., (Va. 1954) or (Ga. Ct. App. 2020).
  • Use S.E. for cases decided between 1887 and 1939, and S.E.2d for cases from 1939 to the present.
  • The South Eastern Reporter has not transitioned to a third series — S.E.2d remains current.
  • For the highest court of a state, use only the state abbreviation (e.g., Va., Ga., N.C.).
  • For intermediate appellate courts, include the full court abbreviation (e.g., Va. Ct. App., N.C. Ct. App.).
  • West Virginia is abbreviated "W. Va." (with a space after the period) per Bluebook Table T1.

Examples

Virginia Supreme Court

Lucy v. Zehmer, 84 S.E.2d 516 (Va. 1954)

Georgia Supreme Court

Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Parsons, 260 S.E.2d 812 (Ga. 1979)

North Carolina Supreme Court

State v. Garnett, 706 S.E.2d 280 (N.C. 2011)

West Virginia Supreme Court

State ex rel. McGraw v. Scott Runyan Pontiac-Buick, Inc., 461 S.E.2d 516 (W. Va. 1995)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which states are covered by the South Eastern Reporter?

The South Eastern Reporter covers Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Is there a S.E.3d series?

No. The South Eastern Reporter has not transitioned to a third series. S.E.2d remains current for all decisions from 1939 to the present.

How do I cite Virginia appellate court cases?

For the Supreme Court of Virginia, use (Va. [year]). For the Court of Appeals of Virginia, use (Va. Ct. App. [year]). In Virginia state court filings, local rules may require the official Virginia Reports citation.

Generate Perfect Citations Instantly

Stop formatting citations by hand. Use Briefly's AI-powered Bluebook Citation Generator to get full citations, short forms, and Id. format in seconds.

Related Reporter Guides

Explore more Bluebook citation guides for other reporters.

U.S. Supreme Court Citations

Master Bluebook citation format for cases reported in U.S. Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Federal Reporter Citations (F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th)

Format citations for U.S. Courts of Appeals decisions published in the Federal Reporter series, from the original F. through the current F.4th.

Atlantic Reporter Citations (A., A.2d, A.3d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Pacific Reporter Citations (P., P.2d, P.3d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

South Western Reporter Citations (S.W., S.W.2d, S.W.3d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.

North Western Reporter Citations (N.W., N.W.2d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Southern Reporter Citations (So., So. 2d, So. 3d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

North Eastern Reporter Citations (N.E., N.E.2d, N.E.3d)

Format citations for state court decisions from Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.

New York Supplement Citations (N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d, N.Y.S.3d)

Format citations for decisions from all levels of the New York state court system, including the Court of Appeals, Appellate Division, and Supreme Court.

California Reporter Citations (Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr. 2d, Cal. Rptr. 3d)

Format citations for California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court decisions published in the California Reporter series.

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.