Most legal citations consist of three parts:
Volume number
Abbreviation of the name of the source
Page or section number ( § denotes section ).
For example, 163 U.S. 537 consists of the following:
163 = Volume #
U.S. = United States Reports (source publication)
537 = starting page
Example: 344 U.S. 1 cites the "Brown v. Board of Education" decision as published in the governments Supreme Court series, United States Reports.
The legal source is a "reporter" which publishes the opinions issued by a court in an ongoing series of volumes. While court cases are usually referenced by name (e.g. Roe vs. Wade), most legal materials also include a legal citation indicating where the decision is found in a specific reporter.
Parallel Citations
Citations to the same law or opinion published in different sources are called parallel citations. Many legal citations include references to the same case published in several different sources. The first cite is usually considered the official or primary cite. The subsequent cites reference additional sources published by private companies which include additional editorial features.
Example: Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113; 93 S. Ct. 705; 35 L. Ed. 2d 147)
Source Publication : Parallel Cite
United States Reports (U.S.) : 410 U.S. 113
Supreme Court Reporter (S.Ct.) : 93 S. Ct. 705
Lawyer's Edition (L.Ed.) : 35 L. Ed. 2d 147
Codes arrange all laws (e.g. statutes) or regulations by subject, and are cited by section (instead of page number). Section numbers are denoted by the § symbol.
Examples:
34 CFR §300.300
Volume 34
Code of Federal Regulations
Section 300.300
20 USC §1400
Volume 20
United States Code
Section 1400
California codes are typically cited as the code name/abbreviation followed by the sections. Sources outside of California usually add a "Cal." to the citation.
Typical format: Code name/abbreviation § #
Example: Welfare and Institutions Code §§ 10050 - 10063
Note: Sources outside of California usually add a "Cal." to the citation.
Example: Cal. Welf & Inst. Code §§ 10050 - 10063
Abbreviations: California organizes its codes by name instead of title number, such as "Education Code," "Penal Code," "Vehicle Code," and "Welfare and Institutions Code." Very frequently, code names are abbreviated.
Example: WIC §§ 10050 - 10063