How to Cite Supreme Court Cases in APA

In an effort to present social and behavioral information in an easy to understand manner, the American Psychological Association created an editorial standard of writing called APA Style. The guidelines are published in a rulebook called "The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association." It details how references and in-text citations must be made for sources including books, magazines, online websites and government documents, as well as legal references such as Supreme Court cases. Using APA style helps verify the source information the writer used to reach a conclusion and helps the writer avoid accusations of plagiarism.

Instructions

  1. In-Text Citations

    • 1

      Write a sentence that states the name of the Supreme Court case and reference information to the case with which you are agreeing or disagreeing. For example, "According to the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. 410 U.S. 113 (1973) the state may not interfere with a woman's choice to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy."

    • 2

      Type a set of parentheses after your in-text citation and fill it with the page numbers where the court case decision can be found. For example, after writing your sentence about Roe v. Wade, type (pp. 147-164).

    • 3

      Type the first name listed on the Supreme Court case and follow it with the page number of the court's decision in a set of parentheses only if you do not mention the full name of the case in your sentence. For example, if you summarize the Supreme Court's decision, follow it with (Roe 150). The reader will know to check the Reference Citation page for more information about the Supreme Court case.

    Reference Citation

    • 4

      Type the name of the case, which is the plaintiff's name, space, the letter "v," a period and the defendant's name followed by a period. For example, Smith v. Doe.

    • 5

      Type the volume, where the source information came from and the page number where the information was found. Your reference citation should now resemble the following: Smith v. Doe. 291 U.S. 501

    • 6

      Type the year the Supreme Court decision was reached inside parentheses and end the citation by typing a period. Your completed reference citation appear as follows: Smith v. Doe. 291 U.S. 501 (1971).

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