Paralegal Certification PrepLegal Research and WritingHard
A paralegal is preparing a legal brief for an appellate court and needs to cite a case that has parallel citations. The case is published in both the official state reporter and a regional reporter. According to Bluebook rules, how should these parallel citations typically be listed in a parenthetical after the case name and primary reporter citation?
- AOnly the official reporter, unless unavailable.
- BOfficial reporter first, then regional reporter.
- CRegional reporter first, then official reporter.
- DOnly the regional reporter, for ease of access.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Official reporter first, then regional reporter.
Bluebook Rule 10.3.1 dictates the order for parallel citations: if a case appears in an official reporter and one or more unofficial reporters, the official citation should always precede any unofficial citations. For state court cases, this means the state's official reporter citation comes before the regional reporter citation.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. While some jurisdictions may only require the official, Bluebook requires parallel citations for certain state court cases, and this option does not address the order when both are used.
- C. This order is incorrect according to Bluebook rules for parallel citations.
- D. Relying solely on the regional reporter is not standard practice and violates Bluebook rules for state cases with official reporters.
Parallel Citation Order (Bluebook)
The prescribed order for listing multiple citations to the same case when it is published in more than one reporter, typically official reporter first, then unofficial reporters.
- Applies to state court cases published in official and regional reporters.
- Official reporter citation always precedes unofficial.
- Federal cases generally do not require parallel citations in the same way.
- Governed by Bluebook Rule 10.3.1.
Memory trick: Official First, Unofficial Next, Always Correct.