Skip to content
counselcitecounselcite
    • StudentsFree for students. We've all been there.
    • Law firmsCheck a document before it is filed.
    • GovernmentFor courts, agencies and public defenders.
  • Case checker
  • Format checker
  • Pricing
  • About
  • Blog
Sign inCheck a document
  • Students
  • Law firms
  • Government
  • Case checker
  • Format checker
  • Pricing
  • About
  • Blog
  • Sign in
  • Check a document
counselcitecounselcite

Citation review for court filings and law-review articles, checked against the Bluebook and the public court record.

Product

  • Check a document
  • Case citation checker
  • Pricing
  • How it works
  • Case record
  • Rule library

Who it's for

  • Students
  • Law firms
  • Courts and agencies

Company

  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Legal

  • Terms of service
  • Privacy policy
  • Security

© 2026 Counselcite. Not affiliated with the Bluebook or its publishers.

Bluebook is a registered trademark of the Columbia Law Review Association, the Harvard Law Review Association, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal.

Citation rules/Cases/10.2 Case Names

Remove or shorten the procedural phrase

Warning2Federal courts, Illinois courts21st and 22nd editions

A spelled-out procedural phrase such as “Petition of” becomes “In re”, and comes off entirely once the name has adversary parties; a descriptive phrase such as “Estate of” stays.1

Check a document
  1. 1R. 10.2.1(b) Procedural phrases; B10.1.1 Case Names. Tables: R. 14.3.1(a) Administrative adjudications.
  2. 2A warning: the form is usually wrong under the rule in note 1, and context can justify it.
PreviousRemove “The” from the party nameNextRemove the consolidated action

More in 10.2 Case Names

  1. Abbreviate the case name
  2. Abbreviate the procedural phrase
  3. Abbreviate the state in the party name
  4. Add a procedural phrase to the case name
  5. Lowercase the article before the name
  6. Lowercase the word after the abbreviation
  7. Remove “of America” from the party
  8. Remove “The” from the case name
  9. Remove or shorten the procedural phrase

Back to Cases

More in 10.2 Case Names

  1. Abbreviate the case name
  2. Abbreviate the procedural phrase
  3. Abbreviate the state in the party name
  4. Add a procedural phrase to the case name
  5. Lowercase the article before the name
  6. Lowercase the word after the abbreviation
  7. Remove “of America” from the party
  8. Remove “The” from the case name
  9. Remove or shorten the procedural phrase

Back to Cases

Sign inCheck a document
  • Sign in
  • Check a document