Court opinions
How to cite a state supreme court opinion
Cite a state’s highest court as case name, reporter citation, and the state’s abbreviation with the year, such as “(Cal. 1976)”, when the reporter is a regional one.
A reporter that prints only that court’s decisions already names the court, so the parenthetical keeps just the year.
A court-numbered citation, such as “2019 IL 122327”, builds the year and court into the number and takes no parenthetical.
12 real examples
Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.
People v. Buffer, 2019 IL 122327, ¶ 41.
- Case name
- People v. Buffer
- Year, court and opinion number
- 2019 IL 122327
- Pinpoint
- ¶ 41
The authority
- People v. Buffer (Ill., Apr. 18, 2019)Source (illinoiscourts.gov)
City of Hopewell v. Shree Arihant Motel, Inc., No. 251193, slip op. at 7 (Va. July 16, 2026).
- Case name
- City of Hopewell v. Shree Arihant Motel, Inc.
- Docket number
- No. 251193
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 7
- Court and date
- (Va. July 16, 2026)
The authority
- City of Hopewell v. Shree Arihant Motel, Inc. (Va., July 16, 2026)Source (vacourts.gov)
Where the book teaches this
State v. Zimmerman, 2014 MT 173, ¶ 11, 375 Mont. 374, 328 P.3d 1132.
- Case name
- State v. Zimmerman
- Year, court and opinion number
- 2014 MT 173
- Pinpoint
- ¶ 11
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 375 Mont. 374
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 328 P.3d 1132
The authority
- State v. Zimmerman (Mont., July 3, 2014)Source (courts.mt.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Ex parte Perry, 483 S.W.3d 884 (Tex. Crim. App. 2016).
- Case name
- Ex parte Perry
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 483 S.W.3d 884
- Court and date
- (Tex. Crim. App. 2016)
The authority
- Ex parte Perry (Tex. Crim. App., Feb. 24, 2016)Copy (courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
State v. Blake, 197 Wn.2d 170 (2021).
- Case name
- State v. Blake
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 197 Wn.2d 170
- Year
- (2021)
The authority
- State v. Blake (Wash., Feb. 25, 2021)Source (courts.wa.gov)
Broadnax v. City of New Haven, 284 Conn. 237 (2007).
- Case name
- Broadnax v. City of New Haven
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 284 Conn. 237
- Year
- (2007)
The authority
- Broadnax v. City of New Haven (Conn., Oct. 23, 2007)Source (jud.ct.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Wilson-Bey v. United States, 903 A.2d 818 (D.C. 2006) (en banc).
- Case name
- Wilson-Bey v. United States
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 903 A.2d 818
- Court and date
- (D.C. 2006)
The authority
- Wilson-Bey v. United States (D.C., July 20, 2006)Source (dccourts.gov)
In re Jacob, 86 N.Y.2d 651 (1995).
- Case name
- In re Jacob
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 86 N.Y.2d 651
- Year
- (1995)
The authority
- In re Jacob (N.Y., Nov. 2, 1995)Copy (law.cornell.edu)Find it on CourtListener
Where the book teaches this
State ex rel. Hunter v. Johnson & Johnson, 2021 OK 54, ¶ 8, 499 P.3d 719.
- Case name
- State ex rel. Hunter v. Johnson & Johnson
- Year, court and opinion number
- 2021 OK 54
- Pinpoint
- ¶ 8
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 499 P.3d 719
The authority
- State ex rel. Hunter v. Johnson & Johnson (Okla., Nov. 9, 2021)Source (oscn.net)
Where the book teaches this
Tarasoff v. Regents of Univ. of Cal., 551 P.2d 334 (Cal. 1976).
- Case name
- Tarasoff v. Regents of Univ. of Cal.
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 551 P.2d 334
- Court and date
- (Cal. 1976)
The authority
- Tarasoff v. Regents of Univ. of Cal. (Cal., July 1, 1976)Copy (courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
State v. Nolan, 322 Neb. 525, ___ N.W.3d ___ (2026).
- Case name
- State v. Nolan
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 322 Neb. 525
- Year
- (2026)
The authority
- State v. Nolan (Neb., Oct. 9, 2026)Source (nebraska.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Borough of Seaside Park v. Shree Jyoti, LLC, No. A-2-25, slip op. at 4 (N.J. Aug. 10, 2026).
- Case name
- Borough of Seaside Park v. Shree Jyoti, LLC
- Docket number
- No. A-2-25
- Slip-opinion page
- slip op. at 4
- Court and date
- (N.J. Aug. 10, 2026)
The authority
- Borough of Seaside Park v. Shree Jyoti, LLC (N.J., Aug. 10, 2026)Source (njcourts.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.
- 1.5 Location: does the cite lead to the passage?
- 1.6 Support: does the passage say what you say it says?
- 4.4 Numbered paragraphs
- 4.11 Errors to catch
- 5.3 Id.: the authority you just cited
- 6.2 Briefs, motions and memos: what goes in italics
- 7.1 When to abbreviate: citations shorten, sentences don’t
- 7.3 Words in case names, places and months