11.4 Legal Citations, Foreign Phrases & Reference Resources
Key Takeaways
- A case citation gives the case name, volume, reporter, first page, optional pinpoint page, and year, as in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
- Federal appellate opinions appear in the Federal Reporter (F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th), and district court opinions appear in the Federal Supplement (F. Supp.).
- Law French terms still used in court include voir dire, en banc, oyez, cy pres, laches, and force majeure.
- Stenography comes from the Greek stenos (narrow) and graphein (to write), and Greek roots dominate medical and scientific vocabulary.
- The RPR job analysis reference list includes Black's Law Dictionary, The Bluebook, Merriam-Webster's dictionary, Stedman's Medical Dictionary, and Barron's business and insurance dictionaries.
11.4 Legal Citations, Foreign Phrases & Reference Resources
Quick Summary: The RPR job analysis lists citations under "Demonstrate a general understanding of the legal process," and lists topic-related resources, foreign phrases (e.g., Latin, French, Greek), and industry/trade terms under "Demonstrate a broad knowledge of vocabulary." This section explains how case, statute, and rule citations are built and transcribed, adds common French and Greek terms to the Latin in Section 11.3, and shows how to prepare for specialized vocabulary using the references on the job analysis list.
Legal Citations
Anatomy of a Case Citation
Attorneys read citations aloud in arguments, jury charges, and depositions. A standard case citation has five parts:
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966)
└─ case name ─┘ └volume┘ └reporter┘ └first page┘ └pinpoint┘ └year┘
- Case name: the parties, joined by v. (for versus).
- Volume and reporter: the book series and volume where the opinion is published.
- First page and pinpoint page: where the opinion starts and the specific page being quoted.
- Court and year: in parentheses. The court is omitted when the reporter makes it obvious (only the Supreme Court is published in U.S.).
Common Reporters
| Abbreviation | Reporter | Courts covered |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | United States Reports (official) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| S. Ct. / L. Ed. 2d | Supreme Court Reporter / Lawyers' Edition | U.S. Supreme Court |
| F., F.2d, F.3d, F.4th | Federal Reporter | U.S. Courts of Appeals |
| F. Supp., F. Supp. 2d, F. Supp. 3d | Federal Supplement | U.S. District Courts |
| A., N.E., N.W., P., S.E., So., S.W. (and later series) | Regional reporters (Atlantic, North Eastern, North Western, Pacific, South Eastern, Southern, South Western) | State appellate courts |
Statutes, Rules, and Short Forms
- Statutes: 28 U.S.C. § 753 is title 28 of the United States Code, section 753. State codes use their own formats.
- Regulations: 45 C.F.R. § 160.103 is title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 160.103.
- Court rules: Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(e), Fed. R. Evid. 803(2), Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e).
- Short forms: Id. (the same authority just cited), supra (cited earlier), infra (discussed later), and et seq. (and the sections that follow).
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is on the RPR job analysis reference list, and many states also publish their own citation rules.
Transcribing Citations Heard Aloud
- Write numbers in citation form. "Three eighty-four U.S. four thirty-six" becomes 384 U.S. 436.
- Use v. in case names. NCRA's What is an Error? grading guide itself writes a spoken case name as Grant v. United.
- Verify, don't guess. Ask counsel for the citation at a break, or check it in a case law database or court website.
- Follow one style for sections. Styles differ on writing § 1983 or Section 1983 when an attorney says "section." Choose the style your jurisdiction uses and stay consistent.
- Transcribe what was read. If counsel misreads a volume or page number, the transcript reflects what was said (see Section 8.3).
Foreign Phrases Beyond Latin
Law French and French Expressions
English law was conducted partly in French for centuries, and many terms survive:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| voir dire | Preliminary examination of prospective jurors or of a witness's qualifications (literally "to speak the truth") |
| en banc | Heard by all the active judges of a court rather than a panel |
| oyez | "Hear ye," the call used to open court |
| cy pres | "As near as possible"; applying funds to the next-best purpose when the original purpose fails |
| laches | Unreasonable delay that bars equitable relief |
| force majeure | An unforeseeable event beyond a party's control, often excusing contract performance |
| lien | A legal claim on property as security for a debt |
| parol evidence | Oral or other outside evidence offered to vary a written contract |
Everyday French expressions also appear in testimony: carte blanche, fait accompli, faux pas, déjà vu, vis-à-vis. Check Merriam-Webster for accent marks and spacing, and be consistent. The legal terms above, such as voir dire and en banc, take no accents.
More Latin Phrases and Abbreviations
per curiam (by the court, unsigned opinion), per se (by itself), pro bono (for the public good), quid pro quo (something for something), mens rea (guilty mind), corpus delicti (body of the crime), pro rata (in proportion), pro tem (for the time being). In abbreviations, et al. takes a period only after al, and in American style i.e. and e.g. are usually followed by a comma.
Greek Roots and Expressions
Greek mostly reaches the record through medical, scientific, and technical vocabulary (see Section 12.3). Stenography itself combines Greek stenos (narrow) and graphein (to write). Polygraph, diagnosis, prognosis, and hematoma are Greek-derived, and scientific or financial testimony uses Greek letter names such as alpha, beta, delta, and sigma. Greek phrases occasionally heard include hoi polloi (the common people) and eureka (I have found it).
Industry and Trade Terms
Depositions often center on one industry, and its jargon can be dense from the first question:
| Field | Sample terms |
|---|---|
| Insurance | subrogation, declarations page, deductible, indemnity, reinsurance |
| Business and finance | EBITDA, accounts receivable, amortization, due diligence, fiduciary |
| Construction | change order, punch list, joist, soffit, rebar |
| Trucking | bill of lading, hours of service, electronic logging device (ELD), CDL |
| Technology | metadata, hash value, IP address, encryption |
| Meetings (parliamentary procedure) | motion, second, point of order, quorum, call the question |
Preparation strategy: Request the caption, a witness list, and any glossary or word list from counsel. Review key exhibits, research unfamiliar terms using credible sources (Section 8.3), and add the terms to a job dictionary before the proceeding.
Reference Resources on the RPR Job Analysis
The job analysis lists reference works by category ("the most recent editions, unless otherwise noted"). Highlights include:
| Category | Examples from the list |
|---|---|
| Business | Dictionary of Business Terms (Barron's); Dictionary of Insurance Terms (Barron's); Robert's Rules of Order |
| Computer and technology | Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms (Barron's); Windows Help; CAT software manuals; Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms (McGraw-Hill) |
| General | Bartlett's Familiar Quotations; Merriam-Webster's dictionary; NCRA's Journal of Court Reporting, website, and Policies and Procedures Manual |
| Grammar | Gregg Reference Manual; Grammar for Court Reporters; a proofreading manual for court reporters, scopists, and proofreaders |
| Legal | Black's Law Dictionary; The Bluebook; Federal and state rules of civil and appellate procedure; Federal Register; IRS publications |
| Medical | Stedman's Medical Dictionary; Health Professional's Drug Guide |
In the citation Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), what does 384 identify?
Which term comes from Law French and describes a case heard by all the active judges of an appellate court rather than a panel?
A reporter is preparing for a deposition in an insurance coverage dispute full of terms such as subrogation and declarations page. Which reference from the RPR job analysis list fits best?