How do you cite legal documents like laws or court opinions in APA Style?

Answer

There are many types of legal works that can be cited in APA style. The examples below represent the most commonly cited. See pages 344-346 of the APA Handbook, 7th ed, sections 11.3-11.10, for more information.

Public Laws

Public laws exist in two stages and APA style cites them differently. The Statute version is the first version of the law and includes the public law number; these are published in the United States Statutes-at-Large. Once the laws are codified they are published in the United States Code.

Uncodified Public Law from Statutes at Large
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-124/STATUTE-124-Pg119/summary
Codified Public Law from United States Code
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U. S. C. § 18001 et seq. (2010). https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/18001

Executive Orders

Exec. Order No. 13,513, 3 C.F.R. 13513(2009). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2010-title3-vol1/pdf/CFR-2010-title3-vol1-eo13513.pdf

United States Supreme Court

Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015). https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/14-556

Find Out More

Please contact one of our Librarians in person or through our Ask a Librarian if you have questions or need to cite a legal document not listed in this FAQ.

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  • Last Updated Jul 13, 2023
  • Views 50
  • Answered By Nora Rackley

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