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Chicago Style Guide


Citing Legal and Government Sources

Legal and government sources vary in the information required for citations. See the examples below for guidance. In general, legal and government sources are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography.

Examples: Court Cases

First Note

1. Herring v. New York, 422 U.S. 853 (1975).

Subsequent Note

2. Herring, 422 U.S. at 853.

Bibliography

Court cases are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above "first note" format.


In the citation above, Herring is the plaintiff, New York is the defendant. 422 is the volume number, U.S. is the "reporter" (publisher), 853 is the first page of the text. For more information on how to shorten a court case citation for subsequent notes, consult the Chicago Manual of Style Online. When in doubt, use the full citation again rather than shortening it.

 

First Note

3. Edelstein v. City & County of San Francisco, 56 P.3d 1029 (Cal.2002).

Subsequent Note

4. Edelstein, 56 P.3d at 1029.

Bibliography

Court cases are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above "first note" format.


This is an example from the California State Supreme Court. In the citation above, Edelstein is the plaintiff, City & County of San Francisco is the defendant. 56 is the volume number, P.3d is the "reporter" (publisher), 1029 is the first page of the text. For more information on how to shorten a court case citation for subsequent notes, consult the Chicago Manual of Style Online. When in doubt, use the full citation again rather than shortening it.

 

First Note

5. State of Arizona v. Fischer, 2008 Ariz. App. LEXIS 125 (2008).

Subsequent Note

6. Fischer, 2008 Ariz. App. LEXIS 125.

Bibliography

Court cases are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above "first note" format.


In the citation above, State of Arizona is the plaintiff, Fischer is the defendant. Ariz. App. is the proper abbreviation for the court, LEXIS 125 is the identifier in the Lexis-Nexis legal database. For more information on how to shorten a court case citation for subsequent notes, consult the Chicago Manual of Style Online. When in doubt, use the full citation again rather than shortening it.

Examples: Acts, Bills, Orders, & Hearings

Note

7. Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 (1996).

Bibliography

Congressional acts, statutes, etc. are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above format.


The citation above indicates the commonly-known title, the publication volume (5), the "publisher" (United States Code = U.S.C.), the section (552) and the year of enactment.

Note

8. H.R. Res. 6026, Sess. of 2011 (Kan. 2011), http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/year1/measures/documents/hr6026_00_0000.pdf.

Bibliography

Resolutions and bills are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above format.

Note

9. Exec. Order. No. 13440, 72 Fed. Reg. 40707 (July 24, 2007), http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2007.html#13440.

Bibliography

Executive orders are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above format.

Note

10. Bridging the Digital Divide in California: A Foundation for a Better Way of Life: Hearings Before the Assembly Utilities & Commerce Committee, 2013 Cal. Leg. (2013) (statement of Ken Simmons, Chief Operating Officer, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles). http://autl.assembly.ca.gov/sites/autl.assembly.ca.gov/files/hearings/BroadbandTestimony.pdf.

Bibliography

Hearings are only cited in notes, not in the bibliography. If your instructor wants a legal source listed in the bibliography, use the above format.