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Citing Sources: Bluebook - Legal Citation

Learn how to cite your sources.

Bluebook Overview

This style guide prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States.  The APA uses the Bluebook style for case law and statutes.

Bluebook Resources

The BlueBook Online: Quick Style Guide - Bluebook citation examples

The BlueBook Online: Foreign Jurisdictions - Examples on how to cite International Laws

Indigo Book - An Open Source and Compatible Implementation of a uniform system of citations

Purdue OWL - various citation styles - APA defers to Bluebook style for legal materials and uses those templates and patterns in bibliographies. 

Bluebook Citation Examples

     Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 387 (2012).

     Lanham (Trademark) Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1141n (2012).

Red Lion Broad. Co. v. FCC, 395 U.S. 367 (1969).

Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc., 296 F.3d 894, 908 (9th Cir. 2002)

U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.

   Clinical Social Work Medicare Equality Act of 2001, S. 1083, 107th Cong. § 2(b) (2001).

    ABLE Act of 2014, H.R. 647, 113th Cong. (as passed by House, Dec. 3, 2014).

FTC Credit Practices Rule, 16 C.F.R. § 444.1 (2019).