How to Cite Laws, Court Cases and Government Documents
7 guides
Court decisions, acts, bills, agency rules, committee hearings, treaties and official memos each have a guide below. Each guide lists what to note about the source and shows how APA, MLA, Chicago and other styles cite it. The examples include Brown v. Board of Education and the Paris Agreement, and most come from the US federal government.
If you write for a law course or a law journal, check first whether it asks for a legal style, such as AGLC, OSCOLA or the Bluebook. All three are offered here.
Legal Case
A court’s decision in a case, such as a Supreme Court ruling.
Legislation
A law passed by a legislature, or a section of a code.
Bill
A proposed law still before the legislature.
Regulation
A rule made by a government agency, such as the FDA.
Hearing
The published record of a legislative committee’s hearing.
Treaty
A written agreement between countries, such as the Paris Agreement.
Document
A memo or other official record with no guide of its own.
A Bill, an Act or a Regulation
A bill is a proposed law still before the legislature. Once it becomes law, it is an act: use the Legislation guide. US federal laws are printed in the Statutes at Large in the order they were passed, and the US Code arranges them by subject.
A regulation is a rule made by a government agency, not by the legislature. US federal rules are printed in the Federal Register, and the lasting ones are collected in the Code of Federal Regulations. A report from a government agency is none of these: use the Report guide.
APA, MLA and Chicago
APA and Chicago base most of their legal citations on the Bluebook. Chicago’s 18th edition covers cases, laws, bills, hearings and treaties in sections 14.170 to 14.207.
MLA asks writers outside law to use its usual template and cite the copy they read. MLA’s own entries for Brown v. Board of Education begin with the author, United States, Supreme Court, and end with the website where the case was read. The Legal Case form has no box for either, so add them by hand.
Harvard and Legal Styles
Our Cite Them Right Harvard prints cases, legislation, bills, regulations and treaties without their citation numbers, such as 347 U.S. 483 or 42 U.S.C. § 12101. So those five guides show no Harvard example, and there is no Harvard page for them. Add the numbers by hand, or use a legal style. Formatting Support lists what to check in AGLC, OSCOLA and the Bluebook.
