On this page
Updated . Example details checked against Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, decided May 17, 1954.
The Chicago format
Pattern
Name v. Name, Volume Reporter First page, cited page (Court Year).
- Notes only: Chicago follows legal style for cases and leaves them out of the bibliography.
- Case name in italics in notes and in your text.
- Pinpoint page after the first page, separated by a comma: 347 U.S. 483, 495.
- Court in the parentheses for lower courts; U.S. Supreme Court cases need only the year.
A real example
Footnote (no bibliography entry)
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954).
When details are missing
- Later notes: a shortened note gives a short case name and the page, as in Brown, 347 U.S. at 495.
- Author-date style: cite the case in your text or a note, with no reference list entry.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- A bibliography entry for each case. Cases stay in the notes.
- Leaving out the pinpoint page. When you quote or refer to a passage, give its page after the first page.
- “vs.” or “versus.” Use “v.”
Or let Format do it.
Choose Court case and fill in the case name, volume, reporter, first page, court and year. Format writes the notes in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Do I need the Bluebook?
Not for a student paper in Chicago. The note above is the form Chicago uses, drawn from legal style.
How do I cite a statute?
Also in notes only: the name of the act, the code title, section and year.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.