Court opinions
How to cite a state court of appeals opinion
Cite an intermediate state appellate court as case name, reporter citation, and a parenthetical that names the court and gives the year, such as “(Mo. Ct. App. 2024)”.
Usually leave out the court’s district or division unless it matters to your point or the receiving court asks for it.
Texas practice is the large exception: it adds the court of appeals’ seat and the petition history.
12 real examples
Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.
U.S. Bank Tr. Nat’l Ass’n v. Thomas, No. CAAP-24-0000837, slip op. at 2 n.2 (Haw. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 2026) (summary disposition order).
- Docket number
- No. CAAP-24-0000837
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 2
- Court and date
- (Haw. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 2026)
The authority
- U.S. Bank Tr. Nat'l Ass'n v. Thomas (Haw. Ct. App., Oct. 8, 2026)Source (courts.state.hi.us)
Where the book teaches this
Williams v. Honl, 348 Or. App. 505, 511 (2026).
- Case name
- Williams v. Honl
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 348 Or. App. 505
- Pinpoint
- 511
- Year
- (2026)
The authority
- Williams v. Honl (Or. Ct. App., Apr. 22, 2026)Source (courts.oregon.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Williams v. Honl, 348 Or. App. 505, 510–13 (2026).
- Case name
- Williams v. Honl
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 348 Or. App. 505
- Pinpoint
- 510–13
- Year
- (2026)
The authority
- Williams v. Honl (Or. Ct. App., Apr. 22, 2026)Source (courts.oregon.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc., 23 Cal. App. 4th 174 (1994).
- Case name
- Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc.
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 23 Cal. App. 4th 174
- Year
- (1994)
The authority
- Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc. (Ct. App., Mar. 11, 1994)Copy (courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
U.S. Bank Tr. Nat’l Ass’n v. Thomas, No. CAAP-24-0000837 (Haw. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 2026) (summary disposition order).
- Docket number
- No. CAAP-24-0000837
- Court and date
- (Haw. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 2026)
The authority
- U.S. Bank Tr. Nat'l Ass'n v. Thomas (Haw. Ct. App., Oct. 8, 2026)Source (courts.state.hi.us)
Herren v. Beshears, 2025 IL App (4th) 250219.
- Case name
- Herren v. Beshears
- Year, court and opinion number
- 2025 IL App (4th) 250219
The authority
- Herren v. Beshears (Ill. App. Ct. (4th Dist.), Sept. 12, 2025)Copy (storage.courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc., 28 Cal. Rptr. 2d 371 (Ct. App. 1994).
- Case name
- Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc.
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 28 Cal. Rptr. 2d 371
- Court and date
- (Ct. App. 1994)
The authority
- Kwan v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc. (Ct. App., Mar. 11, 1994)Copy (courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
Zarate v. Rodriguez, 542 S.W.3d 26 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2017, pet. denied).
- Case name
- Zarate v. Rodriguez
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 542 S.W.3d 26
- Court and date
- (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2017, pet. denied)
The authority
- Zarate v. Rodriguez (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.], Oct. 17, 2017)Source (search.txcourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Karets v. Estate of Gumbs, No. 03-22-00035-CV (Tex. App.—Austin Mar. 10, 2023, no pet.) (mem. op.).
- Case name
- Karets v. Estate of Gumbs
- Docket number
- No. 03-22-00035-CV
- Court and date
- (Tex. App.—Austin Mar. 10, 2023, no pet.)
The authority
- Karets v. Estate of Gumbs (Tex. App.—Austin, Mar. 10, 2023)Source (search.txcourts.gov)
State v. Nord, 320 Or. App. 672 (2022) (nonprecedential memorandum opinion).
- Case name
- State v. Nord
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 320 Or. App. 672
- Year
- (2022)
The authority
- State v. Nord (Or. Ct. App., July 7, 2022)Copy (storage.courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
Steele v. Taber, No. 22A-CT-925 (Ind. Ct. App. Jan. 17, 2023) (mem.).
- Case name
- Steele v. Taber
- Docket number
- No. 22A-CT-925
- Court and date
- (Ind. Ct. App. Jan. 17, 2023)
The authority
- Steele v. Taber (Ind. Ct. App., Jan. 17, 2023)Source (rules.incourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
People v Tebo, 133 Mich App 307; 349 NW2d 172 (1984).
- Case name
- People v Tebo
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 133 Mich App 307
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 349 NW2d 172
- Year
- (1984)
The authority
- People v Tebo (Mich. Ct. App., Feb. 15, 1984)Source (courts.michigan.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.
- 1.10 AI output and fabricated citations
- 3.1 What a quotation promises, and the check before you print
- 4.11 Errors to catch
- 7.2 Spacing and periods: the single-capital rule
- 7.3 Words in case names, places and months
- 7.4 Courts, reporters and journals: identifiers, not words
- 7.10 Errors to catch
- 14.2 Citation forms, court by court