Which is the proper short form for a state criminal case caption where the state prosecutes the defendant, as illustrated by 'State v. Johnson'?

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In state criminal case citations, the government prosecutor is usually referred to simply as “State.” The short form of the caption puts the prosecuting government first, followed by the defendant’s name after “v.”, without extra words. That means the standard, widely accepted short form is “State v. Johnson” — it uses the official prosecuting designation and the defendant’s surname, with no article or state-name prefix.

The other options introduce elements that aren’t used in this short form. Adding “The” before State isn’t used in brief citations. Expanding to “State of Texas” adds unnecessary jurisdictional wording for a short form. Renaming the opponent as “Texas v. Johnson” changes the sense of who is prosecuting and isn’t the conventional short form for a state-prosecution caption.