Paralegal Certification PrepLegal Research and WritingHard
A paralegal is drafting a legal brief and needs to ensure proper citation to a state appellate court case. According to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, which of the following citation components should generally be omitted when citing a state appellate court case that is published in a regional reporter but not in an official state reporter?
- AThe court and date parenthetical
- BThe volume and reporter abbreviation
- CThe pinpoint citation (page number)
- DThe parallel citation to the official state reporter
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. The parallel citation to the official state reporter
If a state appellate court case is published only in a regional reporter and not in an official state reporter, there is no official state reporter citation to provide, and therefore, no parallel citation is included.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The parenthetical including the court and date is always required for clarity.
- B. The volume and reporter abbreviation are fundamental components of any case citation, indicating where the case can be found.
- C. A pinpoint citation is crucial for directing the reader to the specific part of the opinion being referenced.
Parallel Citation
A citation to the same case published in a different reporter, typically an official state reporter in addition to a regional reporter.
- Required when a case appears in both official and unofficial reporters.
- Official citation usually listed first.
- Some jurisdictions no longer require or publish official reporters.
Memory trick: No 'Official' means no 'Parallel' to look for!