On this page
Updated . Example details checked against Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, decided May 17, 1954.
The MLA format
Pattern
First Party v. Second Party. Name of Reporter, vol. #, Day Month Year, p. #.
- Case name as the decision gives it, with “v.” for versus. Roman in the entry, italic in your sentences and citations.
- Reporter: where the decision is published. U.S. Supreme Court decisions are in United States Reports, abbreviated U.S. in legal writing.
- Volume and first page: 347 U.S. 483 means volume 347, page 483.
- Date of the decision, not the date the case was argued.
A real example
Works Cited entry
Brown v. Board of Education. United States Reports, vol. 347, 17 May 1954, p. 483.
In-text citation
(Brown v. Board of Education)
When details are missing
- Read online: add the site where you read the opinion as a second container, in italics, with its URL: Justia, supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/347/483/.
- A recent case not yet given a volume and page: cite the opinion where you read it, such as the Supreme Court’s website, with its docket number and date.
- A lower court: name the court after the case name when the reporter does not make it clear.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- “vs.” in the case name. Legal citation uses “v.”
- The argument date. Use the date the court decided the case.
- A roman case name in your sentences. Italicize it in the text: In Brown v. Board of Education, the Court held...
Or let Format do it.
Choose Court case and fill in the case name, volume, reporter, first page, court and year. Format writes the Works Cited entry and the in-text citation in MLA 9, exactly as shown above, and builds the Works Cited page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Where do I find the volume and page?
At the top of the opinion on Justia, Oyez or the Supreme Court’s site, written as 347 U.S. 483.
Can I shorten the case name after the first mention?
Yes, in your prose: Brown.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in MLA
Every source kind is on the MLA page, and every style is on How to cite.