Legal Definitions - citational

Citational describes something that pertains to, involves, or is characterized by a citation. A citation is a formal reference to a source of information, a legal authority, or a formal summons or notice.

• Example 1: Legal Brief Preparation

  A lawyer is preparing a legal brief to submit to a court, arguing a specific point of law. The brief must include precise references to relevant statutes, prior court decisions (precedents), and legal scholarship. The lawyer's attention to the citational requirements for the brief ensures that all legal authorities are properly identified and formatted according to court rules. This demonstrates "citational" as relating to the proper referencing of legal sources within a formal document.

• Example 2: Traffic Violation Documentation

  A police officer issues a driver a ticket for speeding. The ticket itself is a form of citation. The officer's notes and the details recorded on the ticket, such as the specific vehicle code section violated, the location, and the time, constitute the citational information related to the offense. This shows "citational" referring to the formal documentation and specific details contained within a summons or notice.

• Example 3: Academic Legal Review

  A law professor is reviewing a draft of an article for a legal journal before publication. The professor meticulously checks all footnotes and endnotes to ensure that every case, statute, and academic source is correctly referenced according to the journal's style guide. This review process focuses on the citational integrity of the article, meaning the accuracy and proper formatting of all the references. Here, "citational" relates to the quality and correctness of formal references within a scholarly work.