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Court opinions

How to cite a federal district court opinion

Cite a federal district court opinion as case name, volume, reporter and first page, then the district and the year in parentheses, such as “(S.D.N.Y. 2013)”.

Keep the compass letter, which is part of the district’s name, and leave out divisions and courthouse cities.

A bankruptcy court puts “Bankr.” before the district.

5 real examples

Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.

  1. Pliskin v. Radians Wareham Holding, Inc. (In re ICPW Liquidation Corp.), 600 B.R. 640 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2019).

    Case name
    Pliskin v. Radians Wareham Holding, Inc. (In re ICPW Liquidation Corp.)
    Volume, reporter and first page
    600 B.R. 640
    Court and date
    (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2019)

    The authority

    • Pliskin v. Radians Wareham Holding, Inc. (In re ICPW Liquidation Corp.) (Bankr. C.D. Cal., Mar. 11, 2019)Source (cacb.uscourts.gov)

  2. Ratcliffe v. BRP US, Inc., No. 1:20-cv-00234, slip op. at 5 (D. Me. May 4, 2021) (Rich, M.J.).

    Case name
    Ratcliffe v. BRP US, Inc.
    Docket number
    No. 1:20-cv-00234
    Slip-opinion page
    slip op. at 5
    Court and date
    (D. Me. May 4, 2021)

    The authority

  3. Ryan, LLC v. FTC, 746 F. Supp. 3d 369 (N.D. Tex. 2024).

    Case name
    Ryan, LLC v. FTC
    Volume, reporter and first page
    746 F. Supp. 3d 369
    Court and date
    (N.D. Tex. 2024)

    The authority

    Where the book teaches this

  4. Authors Guild, Inc. v. Google Inc., No. 1:05-cv-08136, 2013 WL 6017130 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 14, 2013).

    Case name
    Authors Guild, Inc. v. Google Inc.
    Docket number
    No. 1:05-cv-08136
    Database number
    2013 WL 6017130
    Court and date
    (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 14, 2013)

    The authority

Where the book teaches this

The full rule, its exceptions and the reasons for it are in these sections.

Related examples