| name | citation-bluebook |
| title | Bluebook Citation Format |
| description | Formats legal citations per The Bluebook (21st ed.) using Bluepages practitioner conventions. Use when citing authority in court filings, checking citation format, drafting briefs or memoranda, or formatting a table of authorities. |
| author | CaseMark |
| author_url | https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/citation-bluebook |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | us |
| practice | litigation |
| language | en |
Bluebook Citation Format
Practitioner-format citation rules (Bluepages) for cases, statutes, rules, regulations, and secondary sources.
Quick Start
Most common pattern — full case citation with pincite:
Smith v. Jones, 123 F.3d 456, 458 (9th Cir. 2020)
Structure: Party v. Party, Vol. Reporter Pg., Pincite (Court Year)
Cases
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|
| Full | Party v. Party, Vol. Reporter Pg., Pincite (Court Year) | Smith v. Jones, 123 F.3d 456, 458 (9th Cir. 2020) |
| Short | Party, Vol. Reporter at Pincite | Smith, 123 F.3d at 459 |
| Id. | Id. at Pincite | Id. at 460 |
| Subsequent history | Append with comma | Smith v. Jones, 123 F.3d 456 (9th Cir. 2020), aff'd, 540 U.S. 100 (2003) |
Key rules:
- Italicize case names including v.
- Omit "Inc.," "Ltd.," "Co." when other party-description words present (R. 10.2.1(h))
- Abbreviate court names per T.7; omit court if obvious from reporter (U.S. Reports → Supreme Court)
- Id. only for the immediately preceding authority
Statutes & Constitutions
| Type | Example |
|---|
| Federal statute | 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018) |
| State statute | Cal. Civ. Code § 1542 (West 2020) |
| U.S. Constitution | U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1 |
| State constitution | Cal. Const. art. I, § 7 |
- "§" (single) or "§§" (range) — always space after the symbol
- Include code year in parenthetical; cite current version unless historical version is relevant
Rules & Regulations
| Type | Example |
|---|
| Fed. R. Civ. P. | Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) |
| Fed. R. Evid. | Fed. R. Evid. 702 |
| Fed. R. App. P. | Fed. R. App. P. 28(a) |
