Business Law: Citing

The 2010 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association includes legal citation examples (p216-224). More examples are available in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.

Court Cases
General rules

• Omit all parties other than the first listed on each side of the “v.”
• For names of individuals, use only the surnames.
• Abbreviate case names, print reporters, and courts.  Abbreviations are available in Table T.6 Case Names of the Blue Book (older edition available online here, (p.284 of pdf).
• Cite traditional print sources and commercial databases (e.g., LexisNexis Academic) over Internet websites.

Court Case in Print
Fogler Library has the print Supreme Court Reporter (1939 - present)


Court Case from LexisNexis Academic (reported - reporter(s) listed)
Cite print source first (reporter), followed by "available at" and the LexisNexis Academic Identifier.




Court Case from LexisNexis Academic (Unreported, no reporter listed)
List the case name, docket number, database identifier, court name, and date.





Court Case from the Internet
Citing traditional print resources and widely-available commercial databases such as LexisNexis Academic are preferred over cases on Internet websites. However, you may cite the Internet if it helps improve access to the court case. Cite print source first (reporter), followed by "available at" and the website url.


Statutes
Fogler Library has the Maine Revised Satutes Annotated and the United States Code Service Lawyers Edition in print.
Statute from the Internet
A source available in traditional print medium or commercial database may be cited to an Internet source if it significantly improves access. For long, complicated URLs, cite the root URL along with parenthetical information on how to access the information.

Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1605, available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode (select Browse, then Title 15).