Statutory citation

Definition

Statutory citation refers to the standardized method of identifying and referencing laws or statutes in legal documents. It typically includes the title, chapter, section, and year of enactment, allowing legal professionals to locate the specific legislation quickly and efficiently. This method of citation is essential for maintaining clarity and consistency in legal writing and research.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Statutory citations vary by jurisdiction; federal statutes often use a specific format (e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 1983), while state statutes may have different conventions.
2. Understanding statutory citation is crucial for locating laws within codified collections, such as the United States Code or state codes.
3. Statutory citations help legal practitioners avoid ambiguity by providing precise references to specific provisions within a larger body of law.
4. In addition to being used in legal documents, statutory citations are also essential for academic writing and legal research papers.
5. Statutory citations can include annotations or notes that provide additional context about the statute's application or interpretation.

Review Questions

• How does statutory citation differ from other forms of citation in legal writing?
  • Statutory citation specifically focuses on referencing laws or statutes, while other forms of citation like case citation reference judicial decisions. Statutory citations typically include details like title, chapter, section, and year of enactment, making them distinct from case citations that involve case names and reporter information. This differentiation is important for ensuring clarity in legal documents and facilitating easy navigation through various types of legal texts.
• Discuss why standardized statutory citations are important for legal research and documentation.
  • Standardized statutory citations are vital because they promote consistency and precision in legal writing. By adhering to a common format, legal professionals can easily locate and reference specific laws across different jurisdictions. This standardization minimizes confusion and enhances efficiency during legal research, allowing practitioners to quickly find relevant statutes and understand their applications within various contexts.
• Evaluate how changes in statutory citation practices could impact the accessibility of legal information for non-lawyers.
  • If statutory citation practices become more complex or inconsistent, it could hinder non-lawyers' ability to access and understand legal information. Clear and standardized citations facilitate navigation through statutes for everyone, not just legal professionals. Simplifying citation formats could democratize access to legal information by making it more user-friendly, enabling individuals to engage with laws that affect their lives without requiring specialized knowledge or training.

Related terms

case citation:

Case citation is the format used to reference court decisions, which includes the name of the case, the volume number, the reporter series, and the page number.

legal research: Legal research is the process of identifying and retrieving information necessary to support legal decision-making, often involving statutes, regulations, and case law.

citation style: Citation style refers to the specific formatting rules for citing sources in legal writing, including statutory citations, case citations, and other legal documents.