How do I cite to appellate court decisions?

In Washington, citing to appellate court decisions requires the use of a standard legal citation. This citation includes the name of the deciding court, the year the decision was issued, the case title and the case number. For example, to cite the 2017 decision of the Washington Court of Appeals in the case of Little v. King County, you would write “Little v. King County, 179Wn.App. 44 (2017).” It is also important to note that Washington appellate courts have different names depending on the level of court involved. The Washington State Supreme Court is the highest court in the state, so its decisions are cited as “State v. XYZ, 121Wn.2d 1 (1993).” The Court of Appeals, Washington’s intermediate court, is cited as “ABC v. DEF, 179Wn.App. 44 (2017).” Finally, the lower state courts are cited as “Smith v. Jones, 75Wn.App.1 (1992).” The importance of accurate citations cannot be overstated since it allows other parties to quickly locate and review the court’s decision. Accurate citations also help ensure that the legal argument being made accurately reflects the court’s opinion.

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How do I cite to appellate court decisions?

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