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Bluebook Guide: Briefs, Court Filings & Transcripts

This guide introduces the Bluebook's uniform system of legal citation. This guide is best used in conjunction with the Bluebook.

General Principles

It is important to adhere to a specific format when citing briefs, court filings, transcripts, and other court documents.  Each document should start with its full name, abbreviated according to R10.2.1(c), followed by a pinpoint citation, if applicable.  Next, the full case citation and the docket number should be included after the document's name and the pinpoint citation.  If there has been no decision on the filing cited, the case should be cited according to rule 10.5(c), with the date in the parenthetical reflecting the date on which the filing was made, regardless of subsequent dispositions such as oral arguments.  If a decision has been rendered, the case should be cited per standard citation practices.  See R10.8.3, p. 114-16.

Bluebook Examples

The Bluebook provides a number of examples as part of R10.8.3, pp. 114-16.  The examples include such items as the following.

  • Complaint & Amended Complaint
  • Appellate Brief
  • Transcripts
  • Amicus Briefs
  • Audio Recordings of Oral Arguments
  • Short Forms

This research guide will be updated on a regular basis with more examples of briefs, court filings, transcripts, and more.

Assorted Examples for UIC Law's Institutional Repository

UIC Law's clinical faculty and students have filed several documents in federal and state courts.  Some documents have been used here for illustrative citation purposes.  

  • Petitioner’s Response to the Court’s Order to Show Cause at 10, Johnson v. Pfister, No. 1:17-cv-03997 (N.D. Ill. 2017).
  • Amended Complaint at 5-9, Weiner v. Prairie Park, Docket No. 1:16-cv-01889 (N.D. Ill. 2016).
  • Brief for bin Ali Jaber as Amicus Curiae Supporting Appellants at 5-10, bin Ali Jaber  v. United States, Docket No. 16-05093 (D.C. Cir. 2016)
  • Petition for Writ of Certiorari at 29-30, Mackey v. Milam, 527 U.S. 1035 (1999) (No. 98-1564).
  • Brief for Respondents at 1-7, City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Cmty. Hope Found., 538 U.S. 188 (2003) (No. 01-1269).

Visit UIC Law's Court Documents and Proposed Legislation.

Other Examples

All court filings must adhere to a standardized format.  Initially, include the complete title of the document as it appears in the filing, abbreviated by R10.2.1(c).  Subsequently, provide a pinpoint citation, if applicable. Thereafter, the full case citation and docket number should be included.  (Example 1 below).

When a decision has not yet been rendered on the cited filing, it is important to cite the case according to R10.5(c).  However, ensure that the date within the parenthetical reflects the date on which the filing was made, regardless of any developments that may have occurred subsequently, such as oral arguments.  In cases where a decision has been issued, the citation should be formatted in the standard manner.

It is essential to always incorporate the docket number, either parenthetically when a reported citation is utilized or as part of the citation when no reported citation is present.  (Example 2 below).

While not mandatory, including the document number assigned by the court (as in a PACER filing for federal cases) may also be appropriate if it is critical for the document’s location.  (Example 3 below).

  1. Complaint at 17, Kelly v. Wyman, 294 F. Supp. 893 (S.D.N.Y. 1968) (No. 68 Civ. 394).
  2. Complaint, United States ex rel. Anti-Discrimination Ctr. of Metro N.Y., Inc. v. Westchester Cnty., 668 F. Supp. 2d 548 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (No. 06 Civ. 2860 (DLC)).
  3. Brief of Petitioner-Appellant at 48, United States v. Al-Marri, No. 03-3674 (7th Cir. Nov. 12, 2003).
  4. Amended Complaint & Demand for Jury Trial, Viola v. Am. Brands, Inc., No. 85-2496-G (D. Mass. Aug. 1, 1985), ECF No. 14.

Consent Decrees

Sometimes, a touch of creativity is necessary to craft a suitable citation that comports with The Bluebook.  In one recent UIC Law Review article, six Consent Decrees are referenced.  Rule 10.8.3 was followed to produce a citation for the Consent Decrees.  In looking at this rule, hereinafter was utilized to differentiate between the various consent decrees.

  • Full citation:  Consent Decree, Illinois v. City of Chicago, No. 17-cv-620 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 31, 2019) [hereinafter Consent Decree (Chicago)].
  • Short citation:  Consent Decree (Chicago), supra note 102, at 17.

Ordinarily, the court document could be used with a supra form, but there were six Consent Decrees in this case.  The docket number must also be provided if the court document and case name are used for the short citation.  This might create confusion because cases related to the Consent Decrees are also used in the footnotes.

Per The Bluebook, the case name cannot be part of the hereinafter or supra construction.  The Bluebook provides a vague direction on this point on p. 116: " the court document itself may be cited using a supra form, unlike the case, which may not."  See also R4.2, p. 81 for the preclusion of using supra and hereinafter with a case name.  Ultimately, this was a court document with an identifier in the parenthetical, so hereinafter was used according to R10.8.3, p. 116.