How to Cite a Legal Case in APA Format

Citing a legal case in APA format follows a specialized structure based on legal citation conventions. It requires the case name, volume number, reporter name, page number, court name, and year. APA references legal cases using formats derived from The Bluebook.

Basic Legal Case Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for a legal case citation is:

Reference list entry:

Name v. Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).

Parenthetical in-text citation: (Name v. Name, Year)

Narrative in-text citation: Name v. Name (Year)

In-Text Citation Examples

When you reference a legal case within your paper, you have two options:

• Parenthetical: The ruling established a precedent for free speech protections (Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969).
• Narrative: In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the Court established a precedent for free speech protections.

Common Variations

U.S. Supreme Court Case

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

In-text: (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954)

Federal Court of Appeals Case

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965).

State Court Case

Include the state court abbreviation in parentheses.

People v. Smith, 123 N.E.2d 456 (Ill. App. Ct. 2020).

Tips for Citing Legal Cases

• Italicize the case name in in-text citations but not in the reference list.
• Do not italicize the case name in the reference list entry (this differs from most APA references).
• Use the official reporter (e.g., U.S. for Supreme Court cases, F.3d for federal appellate cases).
• Include the court name in parentheses before the year if it is not obvious from the reporter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the format different from other APA citations? Legal citations follow conventions from The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, which APA adopts for legal references. This is why the format looks different from standard APA entries.

How do I cite a case I found online? Use the standard legal citation format. You may add a URL at the end if the case is available in an online legal database.

Do I need to cite the same case every time I mention it? Cite the case the first time you mention it in the text. After that, you may refer to it by a shortened name without repeating the full citation.