Citing Statutes: The Bluebook requires a parenthetical after statute citations, but practitioners often strike the entire parenthetical in citing statutes. In practitioner style, how is a federal statute such as 11 U.S.C. § 509 typically cited?

Citing Statutes: The Bluebook requires a parenthetical after statute citations, but practitioners often strike the entire parenthetical in citing statutes. In practitioner style, how is a federal statute such as 11 U.S.C. § 509 typically cited?

• A. 11 U.S.C. § 509 (2012)
• B. 11 U.S.C. § 509
• C. 11 U.S.C. § 509 (2012) with the year in brackets
• D. 11 U.S.C. § 509, without any year or parenthetical

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that in practitioner writing, federal statutes are cited to the United States Code in its current form, without extra year or parenthetical clutter. When you see a statute like 11 U.S.C. § 509, that signals the current codified version of the law. The year in parentheses or a separate parenthetical is not normally included because it points to a specific edition or historical version, which isn’t necessary for a standard citation to the code that remains up to date. This practice keeps citations concise and unambiguous for readers who will consult the current code. You would only add a year or a parenthetical if you were deliberately pointing to a noncurrent version of the statute (for example, a historical snapshot or the Statutes at Large) or if the citation style you’re following requires specifying the edition. In the typical practitioner style, the plain form 11 U.S.C. § 509 is the appropriate, widely understood citation.

The main idea here is that in practitioner writing, federal statutes are cited to the United States Code in its current form, without extra year or parenthetical clutter. When you see a statute like 11 U.S.C. § 509, that signals the current codified version of the law. The year in parentheses or a separate parenthetical is not normally included because it points to a specific edition or historical version, which isn’t necessary for a standard citation to the code that remains up to date.

This practice keeps citations concise and unambiguous for readers who will consult the current code. You would only add a year or a parenthetical if you were deliberately pointing to a noncurrent version of the statute (for example, a historical snapshot or the Statutes at Large) or if the citation style you’re following requires specifying the edition. In the typical practitioner style, the plain form 11 U.S.C. § 509 is the appropriate, widely understood citation.