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Multiple Choice

What is the standard full citation format for a United States Supreme Court case in the U.S. Reports (official reporter)?

The standard full citation for a United States Supreme Court case in the official reporter uses the exact order and elements: case name, volume number, United States Reports abbreviation, the starting page of the case, and then the year in parentheses. So you should see something like: Case name, volume U.S. starting page (year). This format keeps the official reporter front and center, with the volume preceding the page and the year clearly attached at the end. For example, Marbury v. Madison is cited as 5 U.S. 137 (1803). This is why the other formats don’t fit: they rearrange the elements (placing the year before the page or volume), insert punctuation or wording not used in the official citation (such as a semicolon), or omit the official reporter abbreviation in the core sequence.

The standard full citation for a United States Supreme Court case in the official reporter uses the exact order and elements: case name, volume number, United States Reports abbreviation, the starting page of the case, and then the year in parentheses. So you should see something like: Case name, volume U.S. starting page (year). This format keeps the official reporter front and center, with the volume preceding the page and the year clearly attached at the end. For example, Marbury v. Madison is cited as 5 U.S. 137 (1803).

This is why the other formats don’t fit: they rearrange the elements (placing the year before the page or volume), insert punctuation or wording not used in the official citation (such as a semicolon), or omit the official reporter abbreviation in the core sequence.