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Citation tools

Parallel citations by court

The parallel citations published court records hold for a case, in the order your court wants. We add them where your court requires them and remove them where it bars them, and we show the rule that says so.

  • Have a WL number for a published decision? Get its reporter citation.
  • Catches citations that can't exist, such as a volume that was never printed or a page past the last case, and flags a first page that is really a pinpoint.
  • No research subscription needed.

Find parallel citations

One per line: volume, reporter and first page, with a pinpoint if you have one. WL numbers work too. The free trial checks one at a time.

We apply that court's rule on parallel citations and show the rule.

Try one

Published court records, snapshot of Sept. 30, 2026. Free trial: 20 citations a day, one at a time. The yearly toolset, which opens after the Kindle launch period, checks up to 10 at once.

What it does

  • In the order your court wants

    The parallel citations our records hold for the decision: the court-numbered citation first where there is one, then the official report, the regional reporter, S. Ct. and L. Ed. Annotated reports and advance sheets are set apart.

  • Added or removed by rule

    Choose your court. We add parallels where its rule requires them and remove them where it bars them, and we show the rule, its official text and the date we last checked it.

  • A citation reality check

    Catches citations that can't exist (a volume that was never printed, a page past the last case) and flags a first page that is really a pinpoint, or an address several decisions share.

Built on 7,850,758 decisions and 18,130,235 citations from published court records (snapshot of Sept. 30, 2026), and on the court rules behind the book's Table C, Court Citation Rules by State. Rules last checked Oct. 14, 2026. Free trial: 20 citations a day.

The court rules it applies

Each rule was read in its official text. The date shows when we last checked that it is in force. For any other court, the tool uses the book's default: one reporter citation unless the court requires parallels.

  • Wisconsin: Supreme Court or Court of Appeals

    Parallels required. Public-domain citation, Wisconsin Reports, then N.W.

    RequirementWis. SCR 80.02(1)–(3)checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Kansas: appellate courts

    Parallels required. The official citation, then each reporter-system citation.

    RequirementKan. Sup. Ct. R. 6.08checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Oklahoma: Supreme Court or Court of Civil Appeals

    Parallels required. The paragraph citation, then the Pacific Reporter.

    RequirementOkla. Sup. Ct. R. 1.200(f)checked Oct. 14, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Oklahoma: Court of Criminal Appeals

    Parallels required. The public-domain citation, then the Pacific Reporter.

    RequirementOkla. Ct. Crim. App. R. 3.5(C)(2)checked Oct. 14, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • New Mexico: state courts

    Parallels required. The official citation, then New Mexico Reports.

    RequirementRule 23-112 NMRAchecked Oct. 14, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • West Virginia: Supreme Court of Appeals or Intermediate Court of Appeals

    Parallels required. The full parallel citation.

    RequirementW. Va. R. App. P. 38(d)checked Oct. 14, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Nebraska: Supreme Court or Court of Appeals

    Official report required. The Nebraska Reports or Nebraska Appellate Reports citation; N.W. and other parallels optional.

    RequirementNeb. Ct. R. App. P. § 2-109(C)(4)checked Oct. 14, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Delaware: Supreme Court

    Parallels barred. One citation, to the regional reporter for a state case.

    RequirementDel. Supr. Ct. R. 14(g)checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • New York: briefs on appeal

    Official report required. New York decisions: cite the Official Reports.

    RequirementN.Y. C.P.L.R. 5529(e)checked Oct. 13, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

    Parallels required. Other decisions: the official report, then the regional reporter.

    RequirementN.Y. C.P.L.R. 5529(e)checked Oct. 13, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Illinois: state courts

    Parallels optional. Public-domain citation (earlier cases: the Official Reports).

    RequirementIll. S. Ct. R. 6checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Colorado: state courts

    Parallels optional. The public-domain or the Pacific Reporter citation.

    RequirementColo. Chief Justice Directive 12-01checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

  • Indiana: Supreme Court or Court of Appeals

    Parallels optional. The regional reporter (the official one only if there is none).

    RequirementInd. App. R. 22(A)checked Oct. 10, 2026official text (opens in a new tab)

Questions

What is a parallel citation?

The same decision printed in another reporter. 347 U.S. 483, 74 S. Ct. 686 and 98 L. Ed. 873 are one decision in three reporters. Each parallel needs its own page pinpoint, found in that reporter, never computed from another one. A court that numbers its paragraphs is the exception: the ¶ goes after the court's number and serves every parallel.

Which courts require parallel citations?

Of the rules this tool applies, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, New Mexico and West Virginia require parallels for their own decisions, Kansas requires them for every decision, and Nebraska requires the Nebraska Reports citation. The Delaware Supreme Court bars them, and New York briefs cite New York decisions to the Official Reports. Illinois, Colorado and Indiana leave them optional. Each result shows the rule, a link to its official text and the date we last checked it.

Can I turn a WL number into a reporter citation?

Yes, when the WL number belongs to a published decision in our records. Enter it on its own line, such as 2010 WL 2696846, and you get its reporter citation, 611 F.3d 248. Our WL numbers come mainly from 1985–2017 decisions.

What does “not in our records” mean?

No decision in the published court records we hold (snapshot of Sept. 30, 2026) starts at that address. It is not proof the citation doesn't exist. Only an impossible address, such as a volume the series never reached or a page past a volume's last case, is reported as a citation that can't exist.

Does it check the case name?

Not yet. The index holds addresses, not names, so every result links to the citation lookup to confirm the name and court. Citation lookup

In the book

The citation you enter is used to answer you and is not stored with anything about you. We keep only a count of citations checked.