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Bluebook 101

This guide will serve as a general introduction to the Bluebook. It is tailored to students seeking to cite-on or write-on to one of CU's law reviews or journals.

Rule 11

 

Say you wanted to cite to section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Here is the format:

 

If you are citing the federal constitution, use the abbreviation "U.S." before the word "Const."   For a state constitution, provide the official abbreviation of the state name (See Table T10.1), and then use the word "Const."  

 

If you were citing to an article of the Constitution, you would use:  

 

 

 

 

This cite refers to the first article of the U.S. Constitution, section 9,     clause 2.  Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from legislating in certain areas.  Clause 2 refers to the privilege of habeas corpus. 

So, U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2 provides "The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it."  

 

State Abbreviations: Table 10.1

Alabama Ala.
Alaska Alaska
Arizona Ariz.
Arkansas Ark.
California Cal.
Colorado Colo.
Connecticut Conn.
Delaware Del.
Florida Fla.
Georgia Ga.
Hawaii Haw.
Idaho Idaho
Illinois Ill.
Indiana Ind.
Iowa Iowa
Kansas Kan.
Kentucky Ky.
Louisiana La.
Maine Me.
Maryland Md.
Massachusetts Mass.
Michigan Mich.
Minnesota Minn.
Mississippi Miss.
Missouri Mo.
Montana Mont.
Nebraska Neb.
Nevada Nev.
New Hampshire N.H.
New Jersey N.J.
New Mexico N.M. 
New York N.Y.
North Carolina N.C.
North Dakota N.D.
Ohio Ohio
Oklahoma Okla.
Oregon Or.
Pennsylvania Pa.
Rhode Island R.I.
South Carolina S.C.
South Dakota S.D.
Tennessee Tenn.
Texas Tex.
Utah Utah
Vermont Vt.
Virginia Va.
Washington Wash.
West Virginia W.Va.
Wisconsin Wis.
Wyoming Wyo.

 

 

So, a citation to the South Carolina constitution would appear as: 

 

S.C. Const. art I, § 12.     This refers to article 1, section 12 of the South Carolina constitution, or the double jeopardy clause. 

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