Required Cites to State Reporters: The Decline Continues

The Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure no long require cites to state reporters. (The bolded words have been deleted.)

 Rule 2119. Argument.

* * * * *

(b) Citations of authorities.—Citations of authorities must set forth the principle for which

they are cited. Citations of uncodified statutes shall make reference to the book and

page of the Laws of Pennsylvania (Pamphlet Laws) or other official edition, and also to

a standard digest, where the statutes may be found. Citations of provisions of the

Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes may be in the form: ‘‘1 Pa.C.S. § 1928 (rule of strict

and liberal construction)’’ and the official codifications of other jurisdictions may be cited

similarly. Quotations from authorities or statutes shall also set forth the pages from

which they are taken. Opinions of an appellate court of this or another jurisdiction shall

be cited from the National Reporter System, if published therein[, and to the official

reports of Pennsylvania appellate courts, if published therein].

* * * * *

Official Note:

The 2014 amendment to paragraph (b) eliminated the requirement for parallel

citation to the Pennsylvania State Reports, which is the official court reports of

the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court Reports,

which had been the official court reports of the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and

the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Reports, which had been the official

court reports of the Commonwealth Court.

(ljs)