Paralegal Certification PrepLegal Research and WritingMedium
A paralegal is reviewing a federal appellate court opinion cited as 'Smith v. Jones, 87 F.3d 100 (9th Cir. 2020).' What does 'F.3d' indicate in this citation?
- AThe Federal Supplement, where district court opinions are published.
- BThe Federal Register, where federal regulations are published.
- CThe session laws for recent federal legislation.
- DThe Federal Reporter, Third Series, where U.S. Courts of Appeals opinions are published.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. The Federal Reporter, Third Series, where U.S. Courts of Appeals opinions are published.
F.3d stands for the Federal Reporter, Third Series. This reporter series exclusively publishes opinions from the United States Courts of Appeals, which are federal appellate courts.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The Federal Supplement (F. Supp.) publishes district court opinions.
- B. The Federal Register publishes proposed and final federal regulations, not court opinions.
- C. Session laws for federal legislation are found in Statutes at Large, not the Federal Reporter.
Federal Reporter (F.3d)
A series of case reporters published by West Publishing that contains opinions from the U.S. Courts of Appeals.
- F.3d is the Third Series (preceded by F. and F.2d).
- Primary source for federal appellate court decisions.
- Essential for researching federal circuit court precedent.
Memory trick: The 'F' in 'F.3d' means 'Federal', for the 'Federal' 'Appeals' 'Courts'.