Court Case Citation Generator
Cite a court decision: enter the case name, the reporter, the volume, the first page and the year, and get the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. For law-school or court work that requires the Bluebook, check the result against it. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the Court Case Citation Generator
- 1. Find the reporter citation. A decision is printed as three parts, such as 347 U.S. 483: the volume, the reporter's abbreviation and the first page. The court's website, Justia or a law library gives it.
- 2. Fill in the details. The generator opens on Manual Entry with the source type set to Court case. Type the case name in Title, the reporter (U.S.) in Journal / Publication, the volume, the first page in Page(s) and the year in Date / Year.
- 3. Add the court for MLA, and a link. The Publisher / Site box takes the court's name, which only MLA prints. Paste the address of the opinion if you read it online.
- 4. Pick a style, then check. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or another style. For a court below the U.S. Supreme Court, add the court's abbreviation to the year by hand: (9th Cir. 2001).
Anatomy of a Case Citation
| Part | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case name | Brown v. Board of Education | The parties, shortened to the first on each side, joined by v. |
| Volume | 347 | The volume of the reporter |
| Reporter | U.S. | United States Reports; F.3d is the Federal Reporter, third series |
| First page | 483 | Only the first page in a reference |
| Court and year | (1954) | The Supreme Court is understood; other courts are named: (9th Cir. 2001) |
APA 7 and Chicago 18 both follow the Bluebook for cases, so they share this format. APA gives the case name in plain type in the reference list and in italics in the text.
Court Case Citation Examples
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
In-text (parenthetical):
(Brown v. Board of Education, 1954)
In-text (narrative):
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Footnote:
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Bibliography:
Cases are usually cited in notes only. If you list one: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
MLA 9th edition (one common layout)
Works Cited:
Brown v. Board of Education. 347 US 483. Supreme Court of the US. 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.
In-text:
(Brown v. Board of Education)
The MLA Handbook has no court-case example, so libraries recommend this layout, which is the case, its reporter citation, the court, the date and the site. The generator's MLA line is shorter, so rebuild it to this layout if your instructor wants it.
A case from a lower court needs its court in the parentheses. A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., a decision of the Ninth Circuit, reads A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001). The generator prints only the year, so add 9th Cir. yourself.
Common Mistakes
- Citing the page you quote as well as the first page. The reference gives the first page only. The pinpoint page goes in the text citation or the note.
- Italicizing the case name in the APA reference list. APA italicizes it in the text only.
- Leaving out the court below the Supreme Court. (9th Cir. 2001) tells the reader which court decided it.
- Citing a news report of the decision. Cite the decision itself, not an article about it.
- Treating this as a Bluebook tool. Court filings and law reviews have their own rules. Use the Bluebook for them.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You have | Use |
|---|---|
| A court decision | This page |
| A statute or an act | Law Citation Generator |
| A bill before the legislature | Bill Citation Generator |
| A constitution | Constitution Citation Generator |
| A UK, Australian, Canadian or EU legal source | OSCOLA Citation Generator, AGLC, McGill Guide or EU Law |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a court case in APA 7?
- Name of the case, the volume, the reporter, the first page and the year: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). In text, italicize the case name: (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954). A lower court is added to the parentheses: (9th Cir. 2001).
- How do I cite a court case in MLA 9?
- MLA has no specific rule. The usual layout gives the case, the reporter citation, the court and the date, then the website: Brown v. Board of Education. 347 US 483. Supreme Court of the US. 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.
- How do I cite a court case in Chicago style?
- Chicago follows the Bluebook for the form: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). Legal sources are usually cited in notes and left out of the bibliography.
- Is this a Bluebook citation generator?
- No. APA and Chicago use Bluebook-style case citations, so the output is close, but it is not a Bluebook formatter. It does not apply the Bluebook's abbreviations for case names or courts, so use the Bluebook itself for briefs and law-review work.
- How do I find the reporter citation of a case?
- On the court's website, on a free legal database such as Justia or the Legal Information Institute, or in a law library. A U.S. Supreme Court decision is cited to U.S. Reports, as 347 U.S. 483.
- Which citation styles does the court case generator support?
- APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 at the top of the list, and any of the other styles. Switch the style and the same details are reformatted.
Related Tools
How to cite a Court Case in each style
Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.