MLA Citation Style Basics
MLA (short for Modern Language Association) is one of the most widely used citation styles in academic writing. It is especially popular for scholarly elements in the humanities, and MLA style is primarily used by those in the world of liberal arts. While MLA is most often used to cite books, essays, and other written works, it can also be helpful when citing a variety of other sources.
Regardless of the medium, the goal is the same: to make it as easy as possible for a reader or viewer to find the work you are citing. It provides consistency, not only among the source material but also for the reader, who now knows what to look for and where to find it. Giving credit for others’ works also reinforces the ethos of any argument or assertion that you make.
MLA style uses an author-page system. This means that, instead of just a reference at the end of the work, the citation will appear in the text itself after the content and will be accompanied by parenthetical information. The in-text citation will have the last name of the author and a page number in parentheses . For example, "(Doe 123)." After the in-text citation, you will include a works cited page, organized alphabetically by author and with each citation formatted in the same way: author last name, first name, title of the work, publisher, year, and medium. The in-text citation will link to the works cited page entry, which will provide all of the relevant information about the source.
To cite a Supreme Court case, start with the name of the case or bill. Italicize the name. Next, put the type of report the case was issued in, as well as the volume number. For example, US for United States Reports or F.3d for Federal Reporter. Then, add the page number. After that, put the court name and the year. Examples of this would be "United States v. Nixon. US 20, 1974.," or "Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 F.3d 2, 2007." For Supreme Court cases that are less than 100 pages, include a page reference at which the case begins. Supreme Court cases of 100 pages or longer do not need a page reference.
Core Components of a Supreme Court Case Citation
A citation is used to refer to a specific legal case within legal documents and publications. In the context of Supreme Court cases, this includes legal documents like briefs, opinions, and academic papers. Doing this allows interested readers to find the original document referenced so they can learn more. Creating a valid and effective citation is necessary for legal documents and publications for both legal and ethical reasons. A legal citation ensures that credit is given where it is due, and avoids plagiarism. Ethical obligations are recognized by courts, with sanctions possible for those who don’t give credit to others when writing an article or legal brief.
The basic format of a Supreme Court case citation is:
Party v. Party, vol. num. Reporter (Cite abbreviation) (Court name) (year).
When breaking this citation down:
These are the required elements needed to lawfully cite a Supreme Court case in MLA style, such as the court, the reporter, the volume number, and the date. However, there are some additional elements that can be used to further expand the citation should the writer choose to do so. These include the concurring opinion, dissenting opinion, and the decision voting, which can be seen in the example below.
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (USSC) (1954). Concurring opinion: 4-3. Dissent: 2-4.
How to Cite a Supreme Court Case in MLA Style
Step 1: Gather General Information
You’ll need the following information required for the citation:
1. Parties’ Names (abbreviated)
2. Case Name
-Case names are italicized
- Volume Number
- First Page of Case
- Abbreviated Court Name
- Year of Decision
- Identify and gather abbreviation keys
- Parties’ Names
-Use abbreviations of names that are recognized in your legal research or use a reputable abbreviation source:
- For cases in lower courts (state or federal) or U.S. Court of Appeals, then use The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Harvard Law Review Association), 20th ed., 2015.
- For U.S. Supreme Court cases, click here for their online U.S. Supreme Court Abbreviations List.
- U.S. Supreme Court exception:
In their 2016-17 edition of Legal Abbreviations, which was published in January 2016, Oxford University Press decided to revert to the pre-2012 convention of referring to the U.S. Supreme Court as "Supreme Court" (with the initial "S" capitalized) instead of using "USSC."
2. Case Name
-MLA formatting requires that you "cite the official title of the case in italics," so omit the "v," "vs.," "U.S.," and all articles and prepositions (the, a, an, at, in, etc.).
i.e. OBERGEFELL et al. v. HODGES, DIRECTOR, OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, et al.
becomes:
OBERGEFELL, et al. v. HODGES, DIR.
OHIO DEP’T OF HEALTH et al.
3. Volume Number
-This includes a volume number in which the case is published, if applicable.
i.e. 135 S. Ct. 2584
The "S" stands for "Supreme" and the "Ct." stands for "Court."
4. First Page
-This is the first page of the entry of the case in the official volume, if available.
i.e. 2584
5. Abbreviated Court
i.e. 2d Cir. for Second Circuit
As with the parties’ names, lowercase abbreviations of court names are permissible.
6. Year of Decision
i.e. 2015
Last, you’ll put it all together like this:
Obergefell et al. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Heath, et al., 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015).
Tips for Sourcing Information for the Citation
1) If it’s a recent case, check Google Scholar since it has the most up-to-date information on current cases.
2) You can also view the case and all its information via PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).
MLA Court Case Citations: Common Pitfalls
While using MLA to cite a Supreme Court case is pretty straightforward, there are a few common pitfalls that you should avoid. These include:
Omitting the Reporter Information
Finding the case you’re citing and compiling the information you need is perhaps the most important part of the process. You’ll need to find the name of the reporter (abbreviated in MLA) that holds the case and the volume number. Page numbers can be tricky because the page on which the opinion begins will be different from the page of the entire book. However, this isn’t typically a big deal unless you are dealing with a significant amount of cases in an extensive bibliography. For the most part, using the page on which the opinion begins is sufficient.
There can also be confusion on whether to include the word "The" in the reporter’s title. According to Purdue OWL, if the name of the reporter begins with "The," you need to abbreviate the word, that is , abbreviate the "The" and spell out the rest of the reporter’s name. For example:
Reporter name: Yale Review of Law
Citation: Yale Rev. of L. 1324
Reporter name: University of Chicago Law Review
Citation: U. Chi. L. Rev. 386
Reporter name: Oregon Law Review
Citation: Or. L. Rev. 789
Using Omit the "etal." or "v."
You may also see cases referenced as "v." or "etal", which stands for "versus" and "et all," respectively. Using "etal." can be confusing, and "v." is arguably not always appropriate for court cases. However, MLA uses these terms when referencing court cases. "Etal." does still require an effort for proper use. In this case, it stands for the first three petitioners, and then "et al." is used to denote the remaining petitioners.
The above example, for example, would be written as:
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency.
M. v .Envtl. Prot. Agency, 549 U.S. 497 (2007).
MLA Citations: Tools and Resources
Determining the proper structure for a citation is just one element of including MLA style in your legal writing. An additional challenge is identifying the elements you must include in a citation to a Supreme Court case. Familiarity with certain tools and resources can resolve those challenges, improve your presence before the court and benefit your clients.
MLA Style Center
The MLA Style Center offers resources like sample papers, guidelines, and a Quick Guide. The Guide provides three examples of how to cite a Supreme Court case-an example with proper MLA formatting and other examples with incorrect formatting. This section alone may save you time because if you fall short of the standard, you can decipher the correct way to do a citation in the body of the paper. The MLA Style Center also teaches about parenthetical citations (in-text citations) and formatting introduction notes. These notes can be hand-corrected in your paper or printed on a separate paper and inserted into the corresponding place, as is common with print indexes.
Online Generators
Many students and lawyers have turned to online tools to format their citations. Several free tools are available but their output varies. Free Help Me Study cites Lemar’s MLA Guide as a good online resource. Your students will benefit from resources like this when they turn to you for legal citation help.
Legal Databases
Westlaw and Nexis also offer features to assist in preparing for MLA requirements, such as: In the same way that the court looks for consistency in the style of a writer’s legal writing, she also looks for consistent citations, as described in the MLA guides.
Real-World Examples: Citing Supreme Court Cases in MLA
To serve as a practical supplement to our preceding section, we offer the following explicit examples of proper Supreme Court case citations formatted in MLA style:
Dahl v. Milsner, 2008 WL 2945420, at *1 (U.S., July 1, 2008) (No. 07-152)
Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407 (2008)
Murray v. United States, 475 U.S. 459 (1986)
Bennun v. New Jersey, 941 F.2d 501, 507 (3d Cir . 1991)
Bishop v. Evans, 359 F.3d 777, 786 (6th Cir. 2004)
New York v. Quarles, 467 U.S. 649 (1984)
United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739 (1987)
Smith v. Moore, 103 F.3d 618 (11th Cir.) (unpublished opinion), cert. granted, vacated on other grounds by Moores v. Smith, 522 U.S. 1001 (1997)
Dixon v. United States, 548 U.S. 1 (2006)
Kohler v. Koehler, 5 Pa. D. & C. 482 (Pa. 1897)