Wash. Gen. R. 14 app.

Effective September 1, 2026 and Subject to Revision

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. The Twentieth Edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the basic citation

resource for briefs, pleadings, motions, and other documents and papers filed with the court

except as noted below.

2. The latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is the authority for punctuation and style

matters.

3. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language (as updated by the

online version, Merriam-Webster Unabridged) is the authority for spelling, including spacing

and hyphens between nouns (e.g., website, seat belt, decision-maker). Where two or more

spellings are listed, use Webster’s preferred spelling rather than the variant.

4. For matters not covered by the Bluebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, or Webster’s, use

formal, traditional, noncolloquial English.

5. Use and cite to official sources, which in most instances are printed publications. Do not cite

to an unofficial source unless the official source is unavailable.

ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations are used for citing to primary Washington legal materials. The list

replaces the list of abbreviations for Washington materials found in Bluebook table T1.3, at 300.

TITLE ABBREVIATION

Washington Constitution Const. art. VI, § 1

Revised Code of Washington (Official) RCW

Revised Code of Washington Annotated (West) RCWA

Annotated Revised Code of Washington (LEXIS) ARCW

Session Laws Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 3

special sessions Laws of 1995, 2d Spec. Sess., ch. 14, § 21

extraordinary sessions Laws of 1963, 1st Ex. Sess., ch. 26

Washington Reports, 1st, 2d & 3d Series Wash.; Wn.2d; Wn.3d

Washington Territory Reports Wash. Terr.

Washington Appellate Reports, 1st & 2d Series Wn. App.; Wn. App. 2d

Washington Administrative Code WAC

Washington State Register Wash. St. Reg.

Early Statutes

Ballinger Code Bal. Code

Code of 1881 Code of 1881

Hill’s Code of Procedure Hill’s Code of Proc.

Hill’s General Statutes Hill's Gen. Stat.

Pierce’s Code Pierce’s Code

Remington’s Revised Statutes Rem. Rev. Stat.

Remington’s 1915 Code Rem. 1915 Code

Note: In citations, “ Const.,” “Laws of,” and the names of codes and statutes (e.g., “Code of

1881,” “Rem. Rev. Stat.”) are printed in the official reports in large and small caps, but ordinary

typeface is acceptable in court documents. In text, both the official reports and court documents

use ordinary typeface.

EXCEPTIONS TO BLUEBOOK

1. Exception to Bluebook rules 2.1 & 2.2, at 67- 70: Ignore rules about using roman type for

case names. Case names should be in italics no matter where or how they are used.

2. Exception to Bluebook rule 5.3(b)(iv) at 86: The deletion of matter after the final

punctuation of a sentence may be indicated by a three-dot ellipsis.

3. Exception to Bluebook rule 6.1(b) at 88: Do not use abbreviations for entities with widely

recognized initials in text (unless previously set out in a parenthetical), in case citations

(unless abbreviated in source) (this is also an exception to Bluebook rule 10.2.1(c) at 98),

or as institutional authors.

4. Exceptions to Bluebook rule 6.2(a) at 88-89: In text, spell out numbers zero to nine. Use

arabic numerals for higher numbers. Use commas in numbers 1,000 and higher (e.g.,

9,876) except when citing a page number in a case or court document.

5. Exception to Bluebook rule 6.2(d) at 89: In text, always write out “ percent” rather than

using a percentage sign (%).

6. Exception to Bluebook rule 8, at 91- 93: Ignore this section. The Reporter’s Office

generally follows The Chicago Manual of Style to resolve capitalization issues although,

other than capitalizing proper nouns and maintaining consistency throughout the

document, the author’s preference governs.

7. Exception to Bluebook rule 9(a) at 94: When a judge is named in text, the use of the

judge’s first and middle names/initials is discretionary with the author.

8. Exception to Bluebook rule 10.2.1(a) at 97: When a case has both an adversary and a

nonadversary name, cite to only the first case name in the official reports caption.

9. Exception to Bluebook rule 10.3.1, at 102- 103 and Table T1: For Washington cases, cite

the official report s (Wash., Wn.2d, Wn.3d, Wn. App., or Wn. App. 2d) if therein;

otherwise cite the regional reporters (P., P.2d, or P.3d). For non- Washington cases, cite

the regional reporters if therein; otherwise cite the official reports.

10. Exception to Bluebook rule 10.7, at 109-11: Review denied and review granted: for

Washington cases, cite only to Wash., Wn.2d, or Wn.3d if therein; otherwise cite only the

regional reporters (P., P.2d, or P.3d); for non-Washington cases, cite only to the regional

reporter. Cert. granted or cert. denied in the United States Supreme Court: cite only to

U.S. if therein; otherwise, cite to only one of the following: S. Ct., L. Ed. or L. Ed. 2d, or

U.S.L.W. in that order of preference.

11. Exception to Bluebook rule 10.7.1(c) at 110: “ Overruled by” (or “ abrogated by ”) is

appropriate when a case explicitly repudiates (or effectively overrules or departs from) an

earlier decision of a lower court as well as an earlier decision of the same court. Do not

use “superseded by statute ” or “ superseded by constitutional amendment ” subsequent

history.

12. Exception to Bluebook rule 12.3.1(d) at 124: When citing to a current or former, official

or unofficial, version of a statute that is published by a private publisher, do not add the

name of the publisher and year of publication, e.g., “(West)” or “(LexisNexis 2003),”

unless the volume is being cited for something other than the text of the statute, in which

case include the publisher name and year.

13. Exception to Bluebook rule 12.3.2, at 124- 25: Do not add the year in parentheses after a

citation to a presently effective version of a statute or code.

14. Exception to Bluebook rule 12.9.2, at 130: Do not add “Wash.” for codes and ordinances

of Washington local governments. Do not add the year in parentheses after a citation to a

presently effective version of a local code or ordinance.

15. Exception to Bluebook rule 12.10(c) at 134: “Section” may be spelled out in text when

referring to U.S.C. sections.

16. Exception to Bluebook table T1.3, at 289: For Pennsylvania Superior Court cases, omit

the public domain citation after the A.3d citation becomes available.