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Citation Tools: Legal Sources

MLA Core Elements

MLA - Court Cases

Court Cases

Put the name of the court case in italics as well as the name of the website you got it from.  

Example of Court Opinion:

Supreme Court of the United States. Bernard v. Minnesota. 23 June 2016. SCOTUSblog, https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/14-1468_8n59.pdf. PDF download.

Example of Merit Brief:

Bernard v. Minnesota. Merit Brief for the Petitioner. 4 Feb 2016. SCOTUSblog, http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/14-1470_pet.authcheckdam.pdf. PDF download.

Example of Amicus Brief:

Bernard v. Minnesota. Brief amicus curiae of American Civil Liberties Union. 11 Feb 2016. SCOTUSblog, http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/14-1468_amicus_pet_AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion.authcheckdam.pdf. PDF download.

MLA - Bills and Legislation

Laws & Code

Note you need to know which session of Congress and which number of Congress this bill was passed. This is usually available on the website you find a bill or law on.  

Example of Federal Bill:

United States, Congress, House. Improving Broadband Access for Veterans Act of 2016. Congress.gov, www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/6394/text. 114th Congress, 2nd session, House Resolution 6394, passed 6 Dec. 2016.