Starting points, points to ponder, sticking points Using the Bluebook Starting points, points to ponder, sticking points Clare Willis cwillis@kentlaw.iit.edu

My unabashed love for citation “The reason why you can’t find it is because you have a bad citation.” –Every Law Librarian

Where to get help Illinois Bluebook guide Georgetown Bluebook guide HeinOnline(?)(!)

Reading the Bluebook Bluepages Whitepages Tables Index

Bluepages: “B” Practitioners Citations in the body of the text Bluepages Tips

Whitepages: “R” Academia, BUT Fill in the gaps Style rules Where Bluepages are silent, apply Whitepages

An example Case involving a labor union. B4.1.1 gives the general rule for citing case names, but does not give the rule for when a labor union is a party R10.2.1(i) gives that rule: Local 272, International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers v. NLRB

Tables: “T” Fill in the details for Blue and White Example: R10.2.2 or B4.1.1(v): abbreviate any word listed in T6: Academy=Acad., Federation=Fed’n

Index Helpful! Refers to page numbers, not rule numbers

Rules that always apply Style Rules: R1-9

R1.2 Signals explained See, See also, Contra, etc. Ex. See It was -30 degrees in Chicago today. WGN News at 9 It was unbearably cold in Chicago today. See WGN News at 9

R3.2(a): page numbers Drop digits that repeat Keep last two digits 87 Yale L.J. 1057, 1065-69 (1978).

R4.1: Id. General short form rules at R4 More specific short form rules follow the rules for a full citation R10 cases, R10.9 short form for cases No Ibid. in legal citation

Alterations (R5.2); Omissions (R5.3) [Brackets] *.*.*.* Ex. Bob said, “I’m going to Jewel, and the dog is coming with me in the truck for the ride.” Bob said, “[T]he dog is coming with me . . . for the ride.”

Typeface Ordinary Roman Underlined Italicized Large and Small Capitals

ALWD?

Pitfall! Electronic Statutes

“Party line”=R12.2.1(a) “If possible, cite statutes currently in force to the current official code or its supplement.” Official=print(?)

Unofficial online version: R12.5 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 570/402 (2014), available at http://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=072005700HArt.+IV&ActID=1941&ChapterID=53&SeqStart=5200000&SeqEnd=7900000.

Citing Lexis/Westlaw Hope for the future… Use the “information regarding the currency of the database as provided by the database itself.”

WestlawNext

Wis. Stat. Ann. § 253.01 (West, WestlawNext through 2013 Act 116). Publisher different in other states, check T1 N.Y. Civ. Serv. Law § 54 (McKinney, WestlawNext through L.2013, chapters 1 to 548, 550 to 558).

LexisAdvance

Wis. Stat. § 253.01 (LexisAdvance through Act 45, dated August 5, 2013).

Thanks! cwillis@kentlaw.iit.edu