Legal Definitions - SUP. CIT.

SUP. CIT. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase supra citatum, which translates to "cited above" or "mentioned earlier."

In legal writing, supra citatum is a shorthand used to refer a reader to a source (such as a case, statute, or legal article) that has already been fully cited within the same document. Instead of repeating the entire citation, legal writers use supra citatum (or simply supra) to indicate that the full details of the reference can be found in a preceding part of the text, often just a few paragraphs or footnotes earlier. This practice helps maintain clarity and conciseness in legal documents.

• Example 1: A Judge's Court Opinion

  Imagine a judge writing a court opinion. In an early section, the judge might fully cite a foundational legal precedent, for instance, Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), to establish a key constitutional principle. Later in the opinion, when applying that principle to the specific facts of the current case, the judge might write: "As the Supreme Court affirmed in Brown v. Board of Education, sup. cit., separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

  This illustrates supra citatum because the judge avoids repeating the full citation for Brown v. Board of Education, instead directing the reader to the earlier, complete reference within the same document.

• Example 2: A Lawyer's Legal Memorandum

  A lawyer preparing a legal memorandum for a client might first introduce and fully cite a specific federal regulation, such as "29 C.F.R. § 825.100 (Family and Medical Leave Act regulations)." Several pages later, when discussing a different aspect of the client's situation that relies on the same regulation, the lawyer might write: "The employee's eligibility for leave is determined by the criteria outlined in 29 C.F.R. § 825.100, sup. cit., which defines a 'serious health condition.'"

  Here, supra citatum signals that the full citation for the regulation has already been provided earlier in the memorandum, making the text more streamlined and easier to read.

• Example 3: A Scholarly Law Review Article

  In a scholarly law review article, an author might cite a comprehensive book on contract law in a footnote, providing all publication details: "E. Allan Farnsworth, Farnsworth on Contracts § 1.1 (3d ed. 2004)." If the author needs to refer to that same book again in a subsequent footnote or in the main text shortly after, they might write: "See Farnsworth, sup. cit., at § 3.5."

  This use of supra citatum allows the author to refer back to the fully cited source without repeating all the bibliographic information, making the footnotes or text more concise while still guiding the reader to the original reference.