How to cite a speech or address
Bluebook (22d ed.) citation format · B17 / R17.2.6 · Books, periodicals & other secondary
Example
Herbert Wechsler, Remarks at the Meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Chief Justice Stone 5 (Nov. 12, 1947) (transcript available in the Columbia Law School Library).
What the citation needs
Required
- Speaker — The speaker, as it appears on the source.
- Title of the remarks — The title as it appears on the source. R8(a): capitalize every word except articles, conjunctions and prepositions of four or fewer letters, unless they begin the title or follow a colon.
- Date — The date the rule for this source calls for, with the month abbreviated per T12 (“Nov. 24, 1978”).
When they apply
- Affiliation — The affiliation, as it appears on the source.
- Pincite — The exact page (or section, or paragraph) your point is on — not the first page. R1.2(f): pincites are required except after “see generally”.
- Where a transcript is available — The where a transcript is available, as it appears on the source.
- Published in — The published in, as it appears on the source.
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)
Herbert Wechsler, Remarks at the Meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Chief Justice Stone 5 (Nov. 12, 1947) (transcript available in the Columbia Law School Library).
Law review footnotes (Whitepages)
Herbert Wechsler, Remarks at the Meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Chief Justice Stone 5 (Nov. 12, 1947) (transcript available in the Columbia Law School Library).
For this source the two are set the same way.
Common mistakes
Each of these is a citation the checker refuses, with what it says is wrong and the corrected form.
Wrong
Herbert Wechsler, Remarks at the Meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Chief Justice Stone 5 (transcript available in the Columbia Law School Library).
Why
Could not classify (case, statute, regulation, uniform/model act, article, book, or website).
Right
Herbert Wechsler, Remarks at the Meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Chief Justice Stone 5 (Nov. 12, 1947) (transcript available in the Columbia Law School Library).
Governing rules
B17 / R17.2.6
- 17 — unpublished & forthcoming sources (ordinary roman type).
- 17.2 — unpublished materials.
- 17.2.6 — speeches & addresses.
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Related source types
Books, periodicals & other secondary: