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Legal Research: Citation

A helpful guide to assist Faculty and Students in conducting legal research.

Understanding Legal Citations

Legal Citations can be rather confusing. They are not difficult to understand if you remember a few simple rules.

  • Most Legal Citations were originally based on printed books The initial number in a citation is for the volume number of the book. After the volume number follows the abbreviated title of the book.. The last number is the page number of the book where the entry you are interested starts. Ex. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)
  • In Law you will find Parallel Legal Citations. Historically court opinions could be found in more then just one legal publication. It became customary to give multiple citations so that a court opinion could be located in different titles. Ex. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), 87 S.Ct. 1817, 18 L.Ed.2d 1010.
  • Most court opinions will have an official citation. This citation must be used when referring to a court opinion along with any parallel citations. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), 87 S.Ct. 1817, 18 L.Ed.2d 1010.
  • Both LexisNexis and Westlaw have their own unique numbering systems for court cases that are used for court opinions that appear on these databases before they are given their official citation or when a court opinion is not published in the traditional sense. Note that a court opinion not published in its traditional sense may effect its value as a precedent. Johnson v. U.S., 2015 WL 2473450.

Official Citations for Various Courts

Below is a list of Official Citations for Courts and their corresponding Parallel Citations

United States Courts:

Supreme Court: U.S., S. Ct., L. Ed., U.S.L.W.
Ex. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, 87 S. Ct. 1817, 18 L. Ed. 2d 1010, 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1082 (U.S. June 12, 1967)

Third Circuit Court of Appeals: F., F.2d, F.3d
Ex: United States v. Stabile, 633 F.3d 219, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 1945 (3d Cir. N.J. February 1, 2011).

United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d.
Ex: Russoli v. Salisbury Twp., 126 F. Supp. 2d 821, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15909 (E.D. Pa. October 20, 2000)

Pennsylvania State Courts:

Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Pa., A., A.2d
Ex: Commonwealth v. Serge, 586 Pa. 671, 896 A.2d 1170, 2006 Pa. LEXIS 561 (Pa. April 25, 2006)

Pennsylvania Superior Court: PA Super, A., A.2d
Ex: Cavallini v. Pet City & Supplies, Inc., 2004 PA Super 141, 848 A.2d 1002, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 713 (Pa. Super. Ct. April 26, 2004)

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court: A., A.2d
Ex: Jones v. City of Philadelphia, 890 A.2d 1188, 2006 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 23 (Pa. Commw. Ct. January 25, 2006)

Common Court Citation Abbreviations

Common Court Citation Abbreviations

United States Supreme Court (U.S.)
    U.S. – United States Reports
    S.Ct.L.Ed. – Supreme Court Reporter, Lawyers Edition
    U.S.L.W. – United States Law Week
United States Court of Appeals (3rd Cir.)
    F.3d - Federal Reporter
United States District Courts (E.D. Pa)
    F.Supp.2d - Federal Supplement

Pennsylvania Supreme Court (Pa.)
    Pa. – Pennsylvania State Reports
    A.2d – Atlantic Reporter
Pennsylvania Superior Court (Pa. Super Ct.)
    Pa. Super – Pennsylvania Superior Court
    A.2d – Atlantic Reporter
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (Pa. Commw. Ct.)
    Pa. Commw – Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Reports
    A.2d – Atlantic Reporter

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation produced by Cornell University Law School.

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