A legal citation is a reference to a specific legal resource such as a statute, legal case, or law review article. A citation typically includes the volume number, name of resource, and a page number. See examples below.
Legal Citation (Case): Cox Broadcasting, Corp. v. Cohn, 420 U.S. 469 (1975) Translation: Cox Broadcasting, Corp. v. Cohnfound in volume 420 of the United States Reports, starting on page 469,decided 1975.
Common Legal Abbreviations:
Federal Reporter (F.) -- Contains decisions of the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. Federal Supplement (F.Supp.) -- Contains decisions of the U.S. District Court from 1932 to the present. United States Reports (U.S.) -- Official reports of the United States Supreme Court. Southern Reporter (So.) -- Unofficial record of appellate courts of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Supreme Court Reporter (S.Ct.) -- Unofficial record of the Supreme Court
