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Citing State Attorneys General Opinions

JoanShear | 20 January, 2006 13:17

How to cite a state attorney general's opinion does not appear to be on your website. How is it done?

Answer:

Our website [www.bc.edu/lawlibrary] does not include a comprehensive list of how to cite, but just a little guide on how to read some of the most common legal citations for those who are new to law.

The rules on how to cite come from the "Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation," now in its 18th edition. According to the index, pages 120, 124, 153, and 197 are relevant in citing to Attorney General Opinions.

Page 120 states that state materials are cited by analogy to federal examples give in the rule. It gives as an example 39 Op. Att'y Gen. 484. (1940).

Rule 14.4 Advisory Opinions gives more details.

Page 153 tells how to include a citation to an electronic database if that is where you found the opinion.

T1 on page 197 shows how Opinions of the U.S. Attorneys General should be abbreviated. The table does not seem to include representations from the various state Attorneys General, but going back to page 120 one assumes that one should analogize from the federal examples.


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