A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, 7th edition - Kate L. Turabian 2007

Legal cases
Parenthetical citations–reference list style: citing specific types of sources
Part II. Source Citation

Citations of legal cases generally take the same form for courts at all levels. In your reference list, italicize the full case name (including the abbreviation v.). Include the volume number (arabic), name of the reporter (abbreviated; see below), ordinal series number (if applicable), opening page number of the decision, abbreviated name of the court and date, and other relevant information, such as the publisher for a loose-leaf service or the name of a state or local court (if not identified by the reporter title).

R: United States v. Christmas. 222 F.3d 141 (4th Cir. 2000).

Profit Sharing Plan v. Mbank Dallas, N.A. 683 F. Supp. 592 (N.D. Tex. 1988).

The one element that depends on the level of the court is the name of the reporter. The most common ones are as follows.

U.S. Supreme Court. For Supreme Court decisions, cite United States Supreme Court Reports (abbreviated U.S.) or, if not yet published there, Supreme Court Reporter (abbreviated S. Ct.).

R: AT&T Corp. v. Iowa Utilities Bd. 525 U.S. 366 (1999).

Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States. 125 S. Ct. 2129 (2005).

Lower federal courts. For lower federal-court decisions, cite Federal Reporter (F.) or Federal Supplement (F. Supp.).

R: United States v. Dennis. 183 F. 201 (2d Cir. 1950).

Eaton v. IBM Corp. 925 F. Supp. 487 (S.D. Tex. 1996).

State and local courts. For state and local court decisions, cite official state reporters whenever possible. If you use a commercial reporter, cite it as in the second example below. If the reporter does not identify the court's name, include it before the date, within parentheses.

R: Williams v. Davis. 27 Cal. 2d 746 (1946).

Bivens v. Mobley. 724 So. 2d 458. (Miss. Ct. App. 1998).

To cite a legal case in your text, give the name of the case and the date (if citing specific language, provide the page number as well). In many instances, you may be able to include either or both elements in the text.

P: (United States v. Christmas 2000)

. . . his principle was best exemplified by United States v. Christmas (2000).