Twenty-Second Edition Information

Name: The Columbia Law Review Association, Inc., The Harvard Law Review Association, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal Company, Inc.
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Preface to the Twenty-Second Edition

This edition of The Bluebook retains the same basic approach to legal citation established by its predecessors. Some citation forms have been expanded, reduced, or modified from previous editions. The Bluebook strives to be responsive to suggestions from the legal community. In this edition, we have focused on making The Bluebook more practical for modern legal practice. We made hundreds of edits, large and small. Here are some of the most noteworthy changes, in order of appearance:

Mirroring the change to rule 1.2, B1.2 now contains the “contrast” signal. B5.3 now permits the use of the parenthetical “(citation modified)” to be used when a quotation has been stripped of internal quotation marks, brackets, ellipses, internal citations, and footnote reference numbers and capitalization has been modified without brackets. Additionally, B22 and B23 have been added to reflect the additions of rules 22 and 23. Bluepages table BT2 has been updated to reflect current local citation rules and include more jurisdictions.

Rule 1.2 introduces a new signal, “contrast,” for situations in which the contrast between authorities rather than a comparison between them will offer support for the proposition. The language in rule 10.8.3 has been modified to provide greater clarity and address situations like multi-district litigation. Codification information may now be omitted depending on context pursuant to rule 12.4(f). Rule 14.4 has been added to illustrate how to cite state administrative materials. Guidance on citing pen names is provided in rule 15.1(d), and rule 15.8 has been expanded to include more special citation forms. Rule 18 has been substantially rewritten both to provide greater clarity surrounding existing rules and to add new rules to cover a greater number of sources, including AI-generated content. Rule 20.2.4 has been revised to include new guidance on citing to sources in languages that do not employ the Roman alphabet. Finally, rules 22 and 23 have been added. Rule 22 provides comprehensive guidance on citing materials from Tribal Nations. Rule 23 provides comprehensive guidance on citing archival sources.

The tables have also been updated. Table T1.3 has been updated to reflect developments in state legal systems. Table T1.5 has been added to the Bluebook Online and is available exclusively online, free of charge, listing all federally recognized Tribal Nations. Table T2 has been revised, and three new jurisdictions have been added. New guidance on citations for medical journals is now provided in table T6. Finally, the Twenty-Second Edition has substantially modified table T10 in order to streamline it and provide more useful abbreviations.

The compilers request that any errors, omissions, or suggestions for revisions be reported to the Harvard Law Review, Gannett House, 1511 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 or to [email protected]. Errors may be corrected in the Bluebook Online, at www.legalbluebook.com, prior to their correction in the next printing of The Bluebook. Online subscribers are encouraged to look there for the most up-to-date version of The Bluebook.