Court opinions
How to cite a Fifth Circuit opinion
Cite a Fifth Circuit opinion as case name, volume, reporter and first page, a pinpoint, and “(5th Cir. [year])”: the circuit and the year of decision.
The Federal Reporter prints the opinions of every circuit, so the parenthetical has to name the court.
The examples below use F. App’x.
An opinion with no reporter page yet is cited by docket number, slip-opinion page and the full date.
5 real examples
Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.
Fletcher v. Experian Info. Sols., Inc., No. 25-20086, slip op. at 3 (5th Cir. Feb. 18, 2026).
- Case name
- Fletcher v. Experian Info. Sols., Inc.
- Docket number
- No. 25-20086
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 3
- Court and date
- (5th Cir. Feb. 18, 2026)
The authority
- Fletcher v. Experian Info. Sols., Inc. (5th Cir., Feb. 18, 2026)Source (ca5.uscourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Megalomedia Inc. v. Phila. Indem. Ins. Co., No. 23-20570 (5th Cir. Sept. 14, 2026).
- Case name
- Megalomedia Inc. v. Phila. Indem. Ins. Co.
- Docket number
- No. 23-20570
- Court and date
- (5th Cir. Sept. 14, 2026)
The authority
- Megalomedia Inc. v. Phila. Indem. Ins. Co. (5th Cir., Sept. 14, 2026)Source (ca5.uscourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp., No. 25-20441, slip op. at 3 (5th Cir. Mar. 17, 2026) (per curiam) (unpublished).
- Case name
- Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp.
- Docket number
- No. 25-20441
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 3
- Court and date
- (5th Cir. Mar. 17, 2026)
The authority
- Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp. (5th Cir., Mar. 17, 2026)Source (ca5.uscourts.gov)
Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp., No. 25-20441, slip op. at 3 (5th Cir. Mar. 17, 2026) (per curiam) (unpublished), https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/25/25-20441.0.pdf.
- Case name
- Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp.
- Docket number
- No. 25-20441
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 3
- Court and date
- (5th Cir. Mar. 17, 2026)
The authority
- Singletary v. SWBC Mortg. Corp. (5th Cir., Mar. 17, 2026)Source (ca5.uscourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Cervantes v. New Century Mortg. Corp., 633 F. App’x 290 (5th Cir. 2016) (per curiam).
- Case name
- Cervantes v. New Century Mortg. Corp.
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 633 F. App’x 290
- Court and date
- (5th Cir. 2016)
The authority
- Cervantes v. New Century Mortg. Corp. (5th Cir., Mar. 4, 2016)Source (ca5.uscourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Where the book teaches this
The full rule, its exceptions and the reasons for it are in these sections.
- 1.6 Support: does the passage say what you say it says?
- 7.3 Words in case names, places and months
- 7.10 Errors to catch
- 8.6 Unpublished opinions: advice versus court
- 8.9 Record what you checked: the source log
- 8.11 Errors to catch
- 9.6 Unpublished rulings: permission, label, copy
- 14.2 Citation forms, court by court