Bluebook 21st Edition - Cases

Free Bluebook Case Citation Generator

Generate accurate Bluebook citations for US Supreme Court, federal circuit, district court, and state court cases.

How to cite a case in Bluebook

1

Search for the case

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

2

Check the Bluebook formatting fields

Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

3

Copy the formatted result

Get the complete Bluebook citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

Bluebook Case Citation Format

US Supreme Court:

Case Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year).

Federal Circuit Court:

Case Name, Volume F.3d/F.4th Page (Circuit Year).

Federal District Court:

Case Name, Volume F. Supp. 3d Page (Court Year).

Bluebook Case Citation Examples

US Supreme Court

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

In-text: 1

Federal Circuit Court

United States v. Jones, 565 F.3d 1234 (9th Cir. 2021).

In-text: 2

State Court

People v. Smith, 123 N.E.3d 456 (N.Y. 2023).

In-text: 3

Examples formatted in Bluebook style

Handling Special Cases

Parallel Citations

Some states require parallel citations to both official and regional reporters:

Smith v. Jones, 100 N.Y.2d 100, 790 N.E.2d 123 (2003).

Pinpoint Citations

Cite specific pages with a comma after the first page:

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a US Supreme Court case in Bluebook?

Format: Case Name (italicized), Volume U.S. First Page (Year). Example: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). For pinpoint cites, add the specific page: 347 U.S. 483, 495.

What reporter do I use for federal cases?

US Supreme Court: U.S. (official), S. Ct., L. Ed. Circuit courts: F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th. District courts: F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d. Always prefer the official reporter when available.

Do I italicize case names in Bluebook?

In law review footnotes (white pages), italicize case names. In court documents (blue pages), do not italicize—use regular type or underline per local rules.

Cite Other Source Types in Bluebook

Jump to the next source pages in the same citation style.

Cite a Case in Other Styles

Same source type, different formatting rules. Pick your required style.

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