Using Citrus to automatically generate correct Bluebook citations to the U.S. Constitution is as easy as typing your brief or legal document and using the F2 key to mark your citations as you go. This example will show you how.

Citing to the Constitution

Begin by starting Microsoft Word 2003 or Word 2007 on a blank document. Then type this opening sentence:

Treason is the only crime defined in the Constitution.

Now you need to cite to a legal authority. Whenever you enter a legal citation, use the F2 key to mark it. For this example, press F2, then the following citation, then F2 again.

F2 US Const., Article 3, section 3, clause 1. F2

(Throughout this example you will see ways to use abbreviations and shortcuts to enter citations much more quickly.)

When you press F2 a second time to indicate the end of your legal citation, Citrus will automatically generate a correct legal citation to the Constitutional provision that you cited:

Treason is the only crime defined in the Constitution. U.S. Const., Art. III, § 3, cl. 1.

Citing to Constitutional Amendments

You can also cite to amendments:

The 109th Congress could not raise its own pay.

Cite the 27th amendment by pressing F2, typing the citation below, and pressing F2 to indicate that you are done with the citation.

F2 Const amend 27. F2

When you press F2 to indicate that you are done, Citrus will generate the following citation in Bluebook format:

The 109th Congress could not raise its own pay. U.S. Const. amend. XXVII.

Note that Citrus automatically generates the roman numeral from the arabic numeral. You could have entered the roman numerals directly, but using the more familiar arabic numerals helps save your from accidentally making an error in your citation.

Using Citrus on Existing Citations

If you enter a citation but forget to press F2, you can still have Citrus manage the citation. Simply use your mouse or keyboard to highlight the citation, then press F2. Try entering the following sentence into your document now:

Other than the oft-ignored ninth amendment, the most studiously ignored text in the Constitution may be the qualifying statement "[a] well-regulated militia" with which the second amendment begins. const amend 2.

Highlight "const amend 2" and press F2. Citrus will recognize the citation and generate the following:

Other than the oft-ignored ninth amendment, the most studiously ignored text in the Constitution may be the qualifying statement "[a] well-regulated militia" with which the second amendment begins. Const. amend. II.

Citing to the Preamble

You can also use Citrus to automatically generate correct Bluebook citations to the preamble:

The aspirations of the new nation were laid out beautifully by the Founders, const preamble., and continue to inspire us today.

If you did not press F2 before and after "const preamble" then highlight that text now and press F2. Citrus will generate the following text:

The aspirations of the new nation were laid out beautifully by the Founders, U.S. Const. pmbl., and continue to inspire us today.



Click here to see a brief demonstration of Citrus legal citation software automatically managing legal citations.