According to the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition, these are the guidelines to follow when citing cases:
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The name of the case (including the v) in italics. To shorten the case name, use only the names of the first party on each side; omit “et al” and “the”; use only the last names of individuals
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The volume number, abbreviated name, and series number (if any) of the reporter (bound volume of collected cases)
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The page in the volume on which the case begins and, if applicable, the specific page or pages on which is discussed the point for which the case is being cited
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In parentheses, the name of the court that rendered the opinion (unless the court is identified by the name of the reporter) and the year of the decision. If the opinion is published in more than 1 reporter, the citations to each reporter (known as parallel citations) are separated by commas. Note that v (for versus), 2d (for second), and 3d (for third) are standard usage in legal citations.
For specifically citing State Court cases, the AMA Manual of Style recommends the following structure:
The AMA citations for state courts require the following components:
- First party v. second party
- Report volume number
- Official State reporter, abbreviation
- First page of case, specific page used
- Regional reporter and page number
- (Year of decision)
Some examples:
- People v Carpenter, 28 Illd 116, 190 NE2d 738 (1963).
- Webb v Stone, 445 SW2d 842 (Ky1969).
- Beringer Estate v Princeton Med Ctr, 592 A2d 1251 (NJ Super Ct Law Div 1991).
- Kerins v Hartley, 21 Cal Rptr 2d 621 (1993) (vacated and remanded for reconsideration), 28 Cal Rptr 2d 151 (1994).
For more information on citing court cases, please refer to the AMA Manual of Style.
