Legal Definitions - SO.

SO. is an abbreviation for the Southern Reporter.

The Southern Reporter is a specialized series of law books that publishes the official written opinions of appellate courts in several southern U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. These published opinions are critical because they establish legal precedents that lower courts must follow. When you see "So." in a legal citation, it tells you where to find the full text of a court's decision within this reporter series.

• Example 1: Researching a Precedent

  Imagine a law student is researching a case about a landlord-tenant dispute in Florida. Their professor instructs them to find the ruling in Garcia v. Smith, 300 So. 2d 50 (Fla. 1975).

  Explanation: In this citation, "300 So. 2d 50" means that the full text of the Garcia v. Smith case can be found in the 300th volume of the Southern Reporter, Second Series, starting on page 50. This abbreviation directs the student precisely to the published decision of the Florida Supreme Court, which serves as binding precedent.

• Example 2: Citing in a Legal Brief

  An attorney is preparing a legal brief for a client in Alabama, arguing a point about contract enforcement. To support their argument, they cite a previous ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court: Jones v. Doe, 125 So. 3d 200 (Ala. 2015).

  Explanation: The "125 So. 3d 200" portion of the citation indicates that the referenced case, Jones v. Doe, is published in volume 125 of the Southern Reporter, Third Series, at page 200. This allows the court and opposing counsel to easily locate and review the specific legal precedent the attorney is relying upon to make their case.

• Example 3: Judicial Opinion Writing

  A judge in Mississippi is writing an opinion for a new case involving a personal injury claim. To justify their decision, they refer to an established legal principle from a prior Mississippi Court of Appeals ruling: "As held in Miller v. Davis, 650 So. 2d 150 (Miss. Ct. App. 1998), the standard for proving emotional distress requires..."

  Explanation: The citation "650 So. 2d 150" directs anyone reading the judge's opinion to volume 650 of the Southern Reporter, Second Series, page 150, where the complete decision of the Miller v. Davis case from the Mississippi Court of Appeals is published. This demonstrates how judges use these reporters to cite and apply existing legal principles in their own rulings.