How citations work
Pinpoint citations explained
A pinpoint sends the reader to the exact page, paragraph or note you rely on. It follows the first page after a comma, such as “603 U.S. 369, 412”, and a court-numbered opinion is pinpointed by paragraph (¶).
Take the pinpoint from the printed page or paragraph number, not from a PDF viewer’s page counter.
12 real examples
Each citation is printed as the book prints it, from an authority the book checked against its source.
Sherman Act, ch. 647, § 1, 26 Stat. 209, 209 (1890).
The authority
- Sherman Act (Congress (51st, 1st Sess.), July 2, 1890)Source (tile.loc.gov)
H.R. Rep. No. 118-417, at 4 (2024).
The authority
- H.R. Rep. No. 118-417 (House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Mar. 11, 2024)Source (govinfo.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements, Order No. 2023, 184 FERC ¶ 61,054, at P 1 (2023).
The authority
- Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements, Order No. 2023 (FERC, July 28, 2023)Source (govinfo.gov)
Va. Code Ann. § 36-49.1:1(C).
- Code
- Va. Code Ann.
- Section
- § 36-49.1:1
- Subsection
- (C)
The authority
- Va. Code § 36-49.1:1 (Spot blight abatement authorized; procedure) (Virginia General Assembly (Code of Virginia, LIS))Source (law.lis.virginia.gov)
Where the book teaches this
28 C.F.R. §§ 35.200–35.205 (2025).
- Title and code
- 28 C.F.R.
- Section
- §§ 35.200–35.205
- Edition year
- (2025)
The authority
- 28 C.F.R. pt. 35 (Department of Justice (codified by the Office of the Federal Register), July 1, 2025)Source (govinfo.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).
The authority
- Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 (Supreme Court of the United States (Rules Enabling Act), Sept. 16, 1938)Source (uscourts.gov)
U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 2.
The authority
- U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 2 (United States (constitution), June 21, 1788)Source (archives.gov)
Where the book teaches this
Tr. at 7649:11–7650:2 (Pichai).
The authority
- Trial Tr. / Tr. (D.D.C., Aug. 5, 2024)Copy (storage.courtlistener.com)
Where the book teaches this
S. Rep. No. 119-10, at 27 (2025).
The authority
- S. Rep. No. 119-10 (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Mar. 31, 2025)Source (govinfo.gov)
Bednar & Phillips, Commission Quorums, 78 Stan L Rev 1125, 1130 (2026).
- Title
- Commission Quorums
- Volume, journal and first page
- 78 Stan L Rev 1125
- Pinpoint
- 1130
- Year
- (2026)
The authority
- Commission Quorums (Stanford Law Review, 2026)Source (review.law.stanford.edu)
Where the book teaches this
Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mex. v. U.S.), Judgment, 2004 I.C.J. 12, ¶ 153 (Mar. 31).
- Case name
- Avena and Other Mexican Nationals
- Volume, reporter and first page
- 2004 I.C.J. 12
- Pinpoint
- ¶ 153
The authority
- Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (International Court of Justice, Mar. 31, 2004)Source (icj-cij.org)
Where the book teaches this
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65, ¶ 10, [2019] 4 S.C.R. 653 (Can.).
- Case name
- Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov
- Year, court and opinion number
- 2019 SCC 65
- Pinpoint
- ¶ 10
The authority
- Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov (Supreme Court of Canada, Dec. 19, 2019)Source (decisions.scc-csc.ca)
Where the book teaches this
Where the book teaches this
The full rule, its exceptions and the reasons for it are in these sections.
- 4.2 Pages: one page, several pages, a span
- 4.4 Numbered paragraphs
- 4.5 Sections, subsections, articles and clauses
- 4.6 Lines, transcripts and the record
- 4.9 Sources without fixed pages
- 4.11 Errors to catch
- 6.5 Law-review footnotes: roman, italics and small capitals
- 7.5 Numbers: words, numerals, symbols and commas