Citing Federal and State Constitutions
How Law Students Should Follow Bluebook Citation Style
Apr 29, 2009
Federal and case constitution citation is very simple: because only fifty-one constitutions exist in the United States, the variation between legal Bluebook citation forms is limited.
Parts of a Citation to a Constitution Under the Legal Bluebook
A citation to the federal constitution or a state’s constitution has three parts:
- The country or state abbreviation;
- The wordConstitution, abbreviated according to the Bluebook (Const.); and
- The section or subdivision of the constitution that you are citing.
Fonts for Citing Constitutions According to the Legal Bluebook
Citations in court documents and memoranda should use Roman typeface. In law review articles, you should use small and large capitals.
Basic Citation Format for Constitutions Under Bluebook Rules
All citations to the United States Constitution start the same way: with a designation of the country and the abbreviation for constitution:
U.S. Const.
To cite to a state constitution, begin with the state name, abbreviated in accord with Table T.10, followed by Const:
N.M. Const.
Citing a Preamble According to the Legal Bluebook
If you want to cite the preamble to the constitution, you add “pmbl.,” the abbreviation for “preamble,” to the base:
U.S. Const. pmbl.
Citing a Subsection of a Constitution Under the Bluebook
To cite a specific clause within an article, add the article number, section number, and clause number to the base. The article number always appears in roman numerals. You should abbreviate article and clause according to Table T.16:
U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
N.M. Const. art. IV, § 7.
To cite a section within an amendment, add the amendment number and section, if any, to the base. Abbreviate amendment according to Table T.16.
U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Following Bluebook Rules When Citing an Amended Constitutional Provision
If the cited provision has been amended, you have two options: you can indicate the date of amendment or cite the amending provision. If you include the date, it must appear in parentheses. If you cite the provision, you should provide a full citation.
U.S. Const. art. I, § 3, cl. 1 (amended 1913).
U.S. Const. art. I, § 3, cl. 1, amended by U.S. Const. amend XVII, § 1.
Citing a Repealed Provision of a Constitution According to Bluebook Rules
If the cited provision has been repealed, you again have two options: adding the date of repeal or adding the full citation of the repealing provision. If you include the date, it must appear in parentheses. If you cite the provision, you should provide a full citation.
U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
U.S. Const. amend XVIII, repealed by U.S. Const. amend XXI.
Short Forms for Constitutional Citations According to the Legal Bluebook
Do not use a short form, aside from id., when citing constitutions.
If you follow these rules, you will be well on your way to mastering citation using the Bluebook. For more information on how to cite cases using the Bluebook, see these articles discussing how to cite a published federal court case and how to cite a published state court case.
 |
