State Court Decisions explanation used with permission from Diane Wyatt, University of North Carolina
In-text citation: follow basic format - Name v. Name (Year) or (Name v. Name, Year)
For example:
- In Standley v. Town of Woodfin (2008), the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the town’s law prohibiting registered sex offenders from entering town parks.
- The North Carolina Court of Appeals held that use of public parks is not a fundamental right of a town resident and that municipalities can prohibit categories of citizens from access to public parks based on potential harm to others (Standley v. Town of Woodfin, 2008).
Reference format: Name v. Name, Vol.No. Reporter abbreviation Page (Year).
For example:
- Standley v. Town of Woodfin, 661 S.E. 2d 728 (N.C. 2008)
- Standley v. Town of Woodfin, 362 N.C. 328 (2008)
Wait a minute! What’s with different citations for the same court decision?
The first example cites Vol. 661 of the regional reporting service, South Eastern Reports, Second series (661 S.E. 2d). The second example cites Vol. 362 of the state reporter, North Carolina Reports (362 N.C.). Either citation would be correct and enable your reader to retrieve the information, but the Bluebook states a clear preference to cite to the regional reporter. Note the addition of “N.C.” to the year when citing the regional report.
