APA Style - Citing Legal Materials

Citing US Supreme Court Decisions | Citing Decisions of Lower Federal Courts
Citing Massachusetts Court Decisions | Citing Federal Statutes
Citing Massachusetts Statutes | Citing State and U.S. Constitutions
Citing Congressional Hearings |Citing Congressional Bills
Citing Federal Legislative Reports and Documents

The APA style of citing legal materials is based on The Bluebook (REF KF 245 B58 1996).

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (16th ed.). (1996). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association.

Note, however, that the APA style incorporates various changes into the Bluebook style.
The Bluebook style is not used to cite legal periodical articles or books. Use the regular APA style.
To cite legal materials from states other than Massachusetts, follow the forms given below for Massachusetts, but substitute the abbreviations found on pages 170-228 of the Bluebook.
Some Web-based databases do not include the data required to cite according to these rules. Lexis-Nexis is the best source.

Citing U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic Format
Name v. Name. Vol. number U.S. Page number. (Year).

Note: The volume and page numbers refer to U.S. Reports. All reporting services include this information. Ignore the "Cite As" at the head of the page in Supreme Court Reporter, because this form of the citation is not used in APA style.

Example
United States v. Lane, 474 U.S. 438 (1986).

TEXT CITATION

Basic Form
Name v. Name (Year)
(Name v. Name, Year)

Examples

The Supreme Court has held in United States v. Lane (1986) that misjoinder under Rule 8(b) is subject to harmless-error analysis.

The Supreme Court has held that misjoinder under Rule 8(b) is subject to harmless-error analysis (United States v. Lane, 1986).

Citing Decisions of Lower Federal Courts

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic Format
Name v. Name, Volume number Reporter abbreviation Page number (Court Name).

Reporter Abbreviations
F., F.2d or F.3d for Federal Reporter (circuit courts)
F. Supp. or F.Supp.2d for Federal Supplement (District Courts).

Examples
Flibotte v. Pennsylvania Truck Lines, Inc., 131 F. 3d 21 (1st Cir. 1997).
SBC Communications, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission, 981 F. Supp. 996 (N.D. Texas 1997).

TEXT CITATION

Basic Form
Name v. Name (year )
(Name v. Name, year)

Examples

In Flibotte v. Pennsylvania Truck Lines, Inc. (1997), the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that it is appropriate for a judge to refuse to direct the verdict.

The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has held that it is appropriate for a judge to refuse to direct the verdict (Flibotte v. Pennsylvania Truck Lines, Inc., 1997).

Citing Massachusetts Court Decisions

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic Form
Name v. Name, Volume number Reporter abbreviation Page number (Court abbreviation Year).

Reporter Abbreviation refers to Northeastern Reporter: N.E. or N.E. 2d. The citation appears after Cite as on the top of the page of Massachusetts Decisions.

Note: Cases in the Massachusetts Social Law Library (http://www.socialaw.com/) do not include references to North Eastern Reporter. To cite such a case, find it in Lexis-Nexis (ask a reference librarian for assistance if necessary).

Example
Silverleib v. Hebshie, 596 N.E. 2d 401 (Mass. App. Ct. 1992).

TEXT CITATION

Basic Form
Name v. Name (Year)
(Name v. Name, Year)

Examples
In Silverleib v. Hebshie (1992), the Massachusetts Court of Appeals held that an order for the removal of a sewer line is in the nature of an equitable order.
The Massachusetts Court of Appeals held that an order for the removal of a sewer line is in the nature of an equitable order (Silverleib v. Hebshie 1992).

Citing Federal Statutes

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Cite a statute in its location in the U.S. Code. Alternatively, cite the statute in its original publication in the Statutes at Large, rather than in the code. This is usually done when the statute is an appropriation, has been repealed, or has its contents scattered in different parts of the Code.

Basic form
Name of Act § Section number, Volume number U.S.C. § Section number (Year).
Name of Act, Pub. L. No. Number , § Section number, Volume number Stat. Page number.

Examples
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 § 102, 42 U.S.C. § 4332 (1994).
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-336, § 2, 104 Stat. 328 (1991).

TEXT CITATION

Basic form
Name of Act (Year)
Name of Act of Year

Examples
The National Environmental Policy Act (1969) established the Council on Environmental Quality.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 established the Council on Environmental Quality.

Citing Massachusetts Statutes

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Cite the statute as found in the Massachusetts General Laws, or if not there, in the Massachusetts Acts.

Basic form
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. Chapter number, § Section number.
Name of Act. Volume number Mass. Acts Page number. Date.

Examples
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 71, § 1A.
An Act Designating Certain Bridges in the Town of Middleborough. 1967 Mass. Acts 116. 8 October 1997.

TEXT CITATION

Basic form (from Massachusetts General Laws)
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. Chapter number, § Section number (Year)
(Mass. Gen. Laws ch. Chapter number, § Section number, Year)

Examples
In Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, § 1A (1966), the Legislature provided for a period of silence at the beginning of the school day.

The Legislature provided for a period of silence at the beginning of the school day (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, § 1A, 1966).

Basic form (from Massachusetts Acts)
Name of Act (Year)

Examples
In An Act Designating Certain Bridges in the Town of Middleborough (1967), the Legislature made the bridges' names official.

The Legislature made the bridges' names official (An Act Designating Certain Bridges in the Town of Middleborough, 1967).

Citing State and U.S. Constitutions

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic form
Abbreviated name of Constitution pt. Part number (if any), art. Article number in Roman numerals. § Section number.
Abbreviated name of Constitution pt. Part number (if any), amend. Amendment number in Roman numerals, § Section number.

Examples
Mass. Const. pt. 1, art. XV.
U.S. Const., amend. XIV, § 1.

TEXT CITATION

Basic form
Identical to reference list entry, using parentheses as needed.

Examples
Freedom of assembly is guaranteed by Mass. Const. pt. 1, art. XV.
Equal protection of the law is a constitutional right (U.S. Const. art. XIV, § 1).

Citing Congressional Hearings

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic form
Title of Hearing, Number of Congress Cong. Page number (Year) (testimony of Name of witness).

Example
Ru 486: The import ban and its effect on medical research: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy, of the House Committee on Small Business, 101st Cong. 35 (1990) (testimony of Ronald Chesemore).

TEXT CITATION

Basic form
Title (Year).

Example
Chesemore's testimony is found in RU486: The Import Ban (1990).

Citing Congressional Bills

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic Form
Title, Bill or Resolution Number, Number of Congress Cong., Number of Session Sess. (Year).

Example
Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993, S. 671, 103d Cong., 1st Sess. (1993).

TEXT CITATION

Basic Form
House Bill or Senate Bill number (Year)

Examples
Senate Bill 671 (1993) provided for treatment of severe mental illnesses.
A proposed law (S. 671, 1993) provided for treatment of severe mental illnesses.

Citing Federal Legislative Reports and Documents

REFERENCE LIST ENTRY

Basic form
Series abbreviation No. Number, Number of Congress Cong., Number of session Sess. Page number (Year).

Abbreviations
Senate Report.: S. Rep.
Senate Document: S. Doc.
House Report: H.R. Rep.
House Document: H.R. Doc.

Example
S. Rep. No. 300, 106th Cong., 1st Sess. 7 (1999).

TEXT CITATION

Basic Forms
Series name No. number (Year)
(Series abbreviation number year)

Examples
In House Report No. 300 (1999), the House Agriculture Committee approved amendments to the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

The House Agriculture Committee approved amendments to the Federal Crop Insurance Act. (H.R. Rep. No. 300, 1991).

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Last updated January 25, 2010