How to cite a constitution
Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B11 / R11 · Statutes & legislation
Example
U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
More examples
Each of these is checked against the rules on every change to the tool.
- U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
- U.S. Const. pmbl.
- U.S. Const. art. III, §§ 1–2.
- U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).
- World Health Org. Const. ch. 2, art. II.
What the citation needs
Required
None.
When they apply
- Jurisdiction — The jurisdiction, abbreviated per T10.
- Document name (superseded) — The source’s name, as the rule for this type gives it.
- Article — The article cited.
- Amendment — The amendment cited, in Roman numerals: “XIV” (R11).
- Part — The part cited.
- Chapter — The chapter number.
- Section — The section cited (R3.3).
- Clause — The clause cited.
- Paragraph — The paragraph cited, where the constitution numbers them.
- Order — Whether the subdivisions are listed in the order cited.
- Year adopted — For a constitution no longer in effect, the year it was adopted: “Articles of Confederation of 1781” (R11).
- Year amended — For a provision since amended, the year of the amendment, given parenthetically: “(amended 1913)” (R11).
- Year repealed — The year the statute was repealed, given in parentheses: “(repealed 1969)” (R12.7.2).
- Year of the provision — For a constitution no longer in effect, the year the cited provision was adopted, where it differs from the constitution’s: “Ark. Const. of 1868, art. III, § 2 (1873)” (R11).
- Year of the cited version — The year that goes in the date parenthetical at the end of the citation.
- Database citation — A commercial-database citation, where the source is cited to one — “2010 WL 12345”.
- Later provision — What later happened to the provision: “repealed by” or “amended by” (R11).
- The repealing or amending provision — The provision that repealed or amended it: “U.S. Const. amend. XXI” (R11).
In a brief and in a law review
The Bluebook sets citations two ways: the Bluepages for court documents and legal memoranda, the Whitepages for law review footnotes. Here is the first example above as each one prints it, in its typeface.
Court documents (Bluepages)
U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
Law review footnotes (Whitepages)
U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
The words are the same in both; only the typeface changes.
Common mistakes
Each of these is a citation the checker refuses, with what it says is wrong and the corrected form.
Wrong
U.S. Const. article I, § 9, clause 2.
Why
Abbreviate “article” as “art.” (T16; R11).
Abbreviate “clause” as “cl.” (T16; R11).
Right
U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
Wrong
U.S. Constitution amend. XIV, § 2.
Why
Cite a constitution by the jurisdiction and the word “Const.” (R11).
Right
U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Wrong
U.S. Const. preamble.
Why
Abbreviate “preamble” as “pmbl.” (T16; R11).
Right
U.S. Const. pmbl.
Wrong
U.S. Const. art. III, § 1–2.
Right
U.S. Const. art. III, §§ 1–2.
Governing rules
B11 / R11
- T10 — geographical terms.
- 11 — constitutions (T10 jurisdiction, T16 subdivisions; no date when in force).
- T16 — document subdivisions.
Build this citation with the generator, check one you have already written, or paste a whole list of footnotes to check them in order.
Related source types
Statutes & legislation: