Case Citations

Citing Judicial Opinions from California Courts with the Bluebook

Note that these are not federal courts that are located in California, but courts that are a part of the California judicial branch.

Check the California Section of Table 1 on page 252 of the Bluebook to find out which reporter to cite depending on the California Court from which the judicial opinion was issued. The California Section is on page 252 of the 20^th edition.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation 252 tbl.T.1 California (Columbia Law Review Ass’n et al. eds., 20th ed. 2015).

California Court Rules

This guide describes citations in the same order that Table 1 of the Bluebook lists the citations. However, California Court Rules change the way you would cite a judicial opinion from a California Court to another California Court from the default way that the Bluebook indicates. Cal. R. Ct. 3.1113(c) requires you to always cite to the official reporter.

The Supreme Court California is the highest authority for questions of California law.

Judicial opinions from the Supreme Court of California are included in the Pacific Reporter from 1883 on. If the judicial opinion is from 1883 or after, then according to the Bluebook you MUST cite the Pacific Reporter. (Note that Cal. R. Ct. 3.1113(c) requires that you to cite to the official reporter, so you would not use the Pacific Reporter to cite a judicial opinion of the Supreme Court of California court to a California State Court.)

Pacific Reporter

• In re Buckley 10 P. 69 (Cal. 1886).
  • Pinpoint citation:  In re Buckley 10 P. 69, 72 (Cal. 1886).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Buckley, 10 P. at 72.
• In re McDole’s Estate 10 P.2d 75 (Cal. 1932).
• Dreyfus v. Union Bank of Cal. 11 P.3d 383 (Cal. 2000).

P. is the first series, P.2d is the second series, and P.3d is the third series. This means that there are at least three separate volumes numbered as volume “10” in the Pacific Reporter because each of them in is from a different series. If you have trouble finding a judicial opinion, then be sure that you have the correct series.

Note that Cal. is included in the parenthetical to indicate that this judicial opinion is from the California Supreme Court. This is necessary because other courts’ judicial opinions are also reported in the Pacific Reporter. See Rule 10.4(b) on pages 105–6.

West’s California Reporter

• Sanchez v. Sanchez 10 Cal. Rptr. 261 (1961).
  • Pinpoint citation: Sanchez v. Sanchez 10 Cal. Rptr. 261, 263 (1961).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Sanchez, 10 Cal. Rptr. at 263.
• Moncharsh v. Heily & Blase 10 Cal. Rptr. 2d 183 (1992).
• In re Jesusa V. 10 Cal. Rptr. 3d (2004).

Note that no court abbreviation is included in the parenthetical because the Supreme Court of California is the highest court in California.

West’s California Reporter

• Floro v. Lawton 10 Cal. Rptr. 98 (Dist. Ct. App. 1961).
  • Pinpoint citation: Floro v. Lawton 10 Cal. Rptr. 98, 101 (Dist. Ct. App. 1961).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Floro, 10 Cal. Rptr. at 101.
• Cassista v. Community Foods 10 Cal. Rptr. 2d 98 (Ct. App. 1992).
• People v. Orabuena 10 Cal. Rptr. 3d 99 (Ct. App. 2004).

The inferior appellate courts in California used to be called the District Courts of Appeal, but now they are the California Courts of Appeal. The California Court of Appeal in San Diego is in Symphony tower, and it is the California Court of Appeal for the 4^th Appellate District, Division 1. The opinion from one California Court of Appeal does not bind another California Court of Appeal. However, the opinion from every California Court of Appeal does bind each Superior Courts of California. This is very different than how precedent works at the federal level where we would only need to follow the United States Court of Appeals for the 9^th Circuit and not every other United States Court of Appeals too.

Pacific Reporter

• Johnston v. Wolf 274 P. 1028 (Cal. Dist. Ct. App. 1929).
  • Pinpoint citation: Johnston v. Wolf 274 P. 1028, 1029 (Cal. Dist. Ct. App. 1929).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Johnston, 274 P. at 1029.
• Murray v. Indus. Accident Comm’n of Cal. 10 P.2d 97 (Cal. Dist. Ct. App. 1932).

West’s California Reporter

• Richards v. Miller 165 Cal. Rptr. 276 (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct. 1980).
  • Pinpoint citation: Richards v. Miller 165 Cal. Rptr. 276, 278-79 (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct. 1980).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Richards, 165 Cal. Rptr. at 278-79.
• People v. Nabong 9 Cal. Rptr. 3d 854 (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct. 2004).

Pacific Reporter

• Jensen v. Harry H. Culver & Co. 15 P.2d 907 (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct. 1932).
  • Pinpoint citation: Jensen v. Harry H. Culver & Co. 15 P.2d 907, 909 (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct. 1932).
    • Here the first page number is the first page of the judicial opinion, and the second page number is the page on which the material that is quoted appears.
  • Short form citation: Jensen, 15 P.2d at 909.