What is case citation?
Q: What is case citation?
A: Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions. It can be found in series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported.
Q: What information does a legal citation usually contain?
A: A legal citation usually contains the report title, volume number, page, section or paragraph number and publication year.
Q: How are cases published on paper typically cited?
A: Cases published on paper are typically cited with the report title, volume number, page, section or paragraph number and publication year. In some jurisdictions the year and volume number may be required to identify which book of the series has the case reported within its covers.
Q: How have online courts changed how cases are cited?
A: Online courts have changed how cases are cited by adopting a medium-neutral citation system which usually contains the year of decision, abbreviated title of the court and decision number instead of utilizing page numbers for pinpoint references.
Q: What does "v" stand for in Commonwealth countries when citing cases?
A: In Commonwealth countries "v" stands for "versus" when citing cases.
Q: How did WorldLII contribute to making court decisions more accessible?
A: WorldLII made court decisions from all over the world more accessible by providing an online platform where they could be found easily.
Q: Why was a medium-neutral citation system adopted for online courts?
A: A medium-neutral citation system was adopted for online courts due to the large amount of court decisions available online resulting in an overflow of information.
