Citing Legal Materials in Social Science Papers

Mary Whisner, Reference LibrarianMarian Gould Gallagher Law Library

University of Washington School of Law

APA Meets BluebookAPA Style ManualCovers books, articles, reports, etc.

For legal materials, App. DGives examplesRefers to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation

See It in ActionPsychology, Public Policy, and Law

Published by APAAvailable on LexisNexis Academic

Bluebook Intro.Developed by law reviews for law reviewsAdapted for law practice (blue pages)Complex codeAccess points:

Inside coverTOCIndex

Tables

Basics of Legal CitationCasesStatutes

CasesMiranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)

NameWhere to find itJurisdiction and year

CasesAndersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006)

With parallel citations: Andersen v. King County, 158 Wash. 2d 1, 138 P.3d 963 (2006)

Cases – Pinpoint (Jump) Cites “Marriage is the union of one man and

one woman, and every Washington citizen has a constitutional right to enter into such a marriage.”

Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963, 991 (Wash. 2006) (J.M. Johnson, J., concurring)

Cases – Let’s try it

Cases - HistoryTroxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000)

Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000), aff’g In re Custody of Smith, 969 P.2d 21 (Wash. 1998)

In re Custody of Smith, 969 P.2d 21 (Wash. 1998), aff’d, Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000)

Cases - UnpublishedKlamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center v. Bureau of Land Mgmt., No. 07-6272-TC, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46847 (D. Ore. 2008)

Red Oaks Condo. Owners Ass’n v. Am. States Ins. Co., No. 56591-5-I, 2007 Wash. App. LEXIS 2177 (2007)

Statutes - FederalSession laws (published chronologically)

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Pub. L. No. 103-03, 107 Stat. 6 (codified as amended at 29 U.S.C. §§ 2651-2654 )

Statutes - FederalCode (published in subject arrangement)

29 U.S.C. §§ 2651-2654 (2000)

Statutes - WashingtonSession laws (published chronologically)

Layla’s Law, 2001 Wash. Sess. Laws 460

Growth Management Act, 1990 Wash. Sess. Laws 1972

(Most laws don’t have names.)

Statutes - WashingtonCode (published in subject arrangement)

Wash. Rev. Code § 4.28.080 (2008)

Wash Rev. Code §§ 9.94A.537-.540 (2008)

* Washington RulesWashington courts and lawyers use the Reporter of Decisions Style Sheet (link)

Laws of 1990, 1st Ex. Sess., ch.17

RCW § 4.28.080 (2008)

Statutes – Let’s Try It

If Unsure, Go Online and Copy

If Unsure, Go Online and Copy

Another Example

Another Example

ToolsBluebook 101 (Gallagher Law Library

guide)Peter W. Martin,

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (Cornell guide)

Mary Miles Prince, Prince’s Dictionary of Legal Citations (7th ed. 2006) (thousands of examples of Bluebook citations)

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