How to cite a legislative journal

Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B13 / R13.5 · Statutes & legislation

Example

S. Journal, 24th Cong., 2d Sess. 123–24 (1836).

What the citation needs

Required

Congress — The number of the Congress (“104th”).
Session — The legislative session.
Year — The year that goes in the date parenthetical at the end of the citation.

When they apply

House — The chamber whose journal it is: “H.R.” or “S.”.
Page — The page the source begins on. The page you are citing goes in the pincite.

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)

S. Journal, 24th Cong., 2d Sess. 123–24 (1836).

Law review footnotes (Whitepages)

S. Journal, 24th Cong., 2d Sess. 123–24 (1836).

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

S. Journal, 24th Cong., 2nd Sess. 123–24 (1836).

Why

Write the session number as “2d”, not “2nd” (R6.2(b)(ii)).

Right

S. Journal, 24th Cong., 2d Sess. 123–24 (1836).

Governing rules

B13 / R13.5

13 — legislative materials.
13.4(e) — federal legislative journals.
T9 — legislative-document abbreviations.

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: