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Arkansas Trial Court Briefs using the ALWD Citation Manual:
A Citation Life-Saver

by Prof. Coleen M. Barger, UALR William H. Bowen School of Law

updated March 10, 2008

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 Statutes (Rule 14, App. 1):

Every full citation to a statute must give the abbreviation for the government’s official code (see Appendix 1)*; the numbers of the particular statutory section being cited (plus pinpoint sub-sections, if any); and the date (in order of preference, date on spine of print volume, date on copyright page, date on title page). Note: Statutory citations never use italics or underlining. If you are citing the Westlaw or LexisNexis version of a statute (not preferred), the date must reflect the legislative session that service's databases are "current through."

*Arkansas Code Annotated § 1-2-113(c) provides that “[s]ections of the Code may be cited by the abbreviation ‘A.C.A.’ followed by the number of the section.”

Apart from id. (which is permissible in appropriate circumstances), statutory short forms may use either:

(a) use everything but the date; or

(b) just the numbers/letters following the § symbol
(use the latter short form only where there is no possibility of confusion with another statute).

Full Citation

Short Form

17 U.S.C. § 109(a) (2000).

17 U.S.C § 109(a) [or] §109(a).

Ark. Code Ann. § 5-1-110(d)(1) (1987).

Ark. Code Ann. § 5-1-110(d)(1)
[or]
§ 5-1-110(d)(1).

A.C.A. § 5-1-110(d)(1) (1987).

A.C.A. § 5-1-110)(d)(1).

 

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Court Rules (Rule 17):

Full citations to current court rules include an abbreviation to the code* and a rule number—no date.

Because this citation is so short itself, you will not use any sort of short form, apart from id., if appropriate.

*Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 85 lets you abbreviate that set of rules as “ARCP,” and Arkansas Rule of Evidence 1102 authorizes the abbreviated format “A.R.E. Rule __” (no explanation for periods).

Full Citation

Short Form

Fed. R. Evid. 803.

None

Ark. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)
[or]
ARCP 12(b)(6).

None

Ark. R. Evid. 201
[or]
A.R.E. Rule 201.

None

 

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Cases (Rule 12, App. 3):

Full citations to cases include the first named party on each side (abbreviating any words found in Appendix 3); the volume of the federal or regional reporter; the abbreviation for that reporter; the initial page of the case; pinpoint page(s); a parenthetical with the court’s abbreviation and date of opinion; and subsequent history, if any.

Note: In briefs to Arkansas trial courts (the rule is different for appellate briefs), you do not need parallel citations for state court cases (i.e., official + regional).

Underline or italicize the case name and the procedural phrase for subsequent history, if any.

Apart from id. (which is permissible in appropriate circumstances), short forms for cases must use (a) one party’s name; (b) the volume of the federal or regional reporter; (c) the abbreviation for that reporter; (d) the word “at” (never capitalized); and (e) the pinpoint page(s).

Full Citation

Short Form

U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779, 790 (1995).

U.S. Term Limits, Inc., 514 U.S. at 789.
[or]
Thornton, 514 U.S. at 789.

Hayden v. Natl. Sec. Agency, 452 F. Supp. 247, 250 (D.D.C. 1978), aff’d, 608 F.2d 1381 (D.C. Cir. 1979).

Hayden, 452 F. Supp. at 251.

State v. Brown, 156 S.W.3d 722, 724 (Ark. 2004).

Brown, 156 S.W.3d at 723.

Continental Ins. Co. v. Bergquist, 400 N.W.2d 199, 201 (Minn. App. 1987).

Bergquist, 400 N.W.2d at 202.

Bush v. Bookter, 47 So. 2d 77, 79 (La. App. 1st Cir. 1950).

Bush, 47 So. 2d at 80.