| 22nd Edition BLUE PAGES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule | Rule subject | Change | Explanation |
| B1.2 | Signals | New: contrast | The old rule's "Compare" signal said "similar or different in important respects." The new rule splits this into two signals:
|
| B1.2 | Signals | New guidance for typeface in signals adding "e.g." | The 21st edition was silent on this. Now, if you use either "see" or "but see" with "e.g.", the rules are clear that the comma between the two signals should, itself, be underlined as well. |
| B4 | Short Cites | No supra, hereinafter for short citing legislative debates | The new rule adds “or debates” to the list of authorities for which “supra” and “hereinafter” should not be used, clarifying that legislative debates are included in the prohibition. |
| B5.3 |
Quotations |
OK: "(citation modified)" NOT OK: "(cleaned up)" |
The new rule allows you to modify quotations (to enhance readability only) by removing internal quotation marks, brackets, ellipses, internal citations, and footnote numbers, and by changing capitalization without brackets. These changes should be indicated with the parenthetical “(citation modified).” The original sources of quotations within the quotation do not need to be cited, and no other parentheticals (such as “cleaned up”) should be used for this purpose. |
| B10.1 | Case Names | Clarity on abbreviations in case names | The new rule is slightly more explicit about when and how to abbreviate long words/entities in case names, and provides a precise list of abbreviations allowed in text. |
| B14 | Administrative Materials | State regulation citation clarity | The new rule now explicitly addresses state regulation citation format, referencing Table T1.3 and specifying to omit small capitals. This was not directly stated in the old rule B14, though it aligns with general Bluebook practice. |
| B15.1 | Books and Other Non-Periodic Materials | Instructions for 3 authors | Mirroring the changes to Rule 15, B15.1 now includes instructions for how to format citations where there are three authors (old rule was for "more than 2") |
| B15.1 | Books and Other Non-Periodic Materials | 2 new "frequently cited works" with special citation forms | Both Moore's Federal Practice and Wright & Miller's Federal Practice and Procedure now have their own special citation rules. |
| B17.1 | Court and Litigation Documents | Broader language for electronic docket numbers | The new rule refers to “any electronic docket number, if applicable,” instead of only “ECF number.” This change reflects the reality that state courts and some federal systems may use different nomenclature (e.g., “Dkt. No.” rather than “ECF No.”) and expands the requirement to state court electronic systems, not just PACER/ECF for federal courts |
| B18.1 | The Internet | Main page title abbreviations in websites | The new rule explicitly requires abbreviating the main page title of the website according to tables T6 and T10, which is a clarification and modernization of practice |
| B18.1 | The Internet | Time format | Citations to internet sources where there is a specific time when the page was last updated must use a 24 hour clock and indicate the time zone |
| B18.1 | The Internet | "Last visited" guidance | The new rule simplifies the instruction for undated web pages, now recommending only “last visited” (rather than “last modified” or “last updated”) if no date is available. |
| B22 | Tribal Materials | New Rule | New rule, mirroring the new Whitepages rule, regarding how to cite to tribal law and adding a practitioner-oriented element: if submitting a legal document to a particular Tribal Nation, the practitioner should "follow the citation format prescribed by the respective Tribal Nation's rules or guidelines, if such format is available." |
| B23 | Archival Sources | New Rule | FAR less expansive than its counterpart new rule in the Whitepages, giving a very basic rubric for how to cite archival sources, with a reference to Rule 23 in the Whitepages for any additional guidance. |