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Using the model citation, identify the volume, reporter, first page, pinpoint, and year. Explain which component would change if you relied on another page of the same opinion.
Volume 347 identifies the reporter volume; U.S. identifies United States Reports; 483 is the decision's first page; 495 is the relied-on pinpoint; 1954 is the decision year. If the passage changes, change the pinpoint after inspecting the new passage. Keep the first page because it identifies the same reported decision. A source card should retain both fields so later edits do not confuse identification with location.
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An assistant writes Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 495 (1954), to support the supplied conclusion. Repair the citation and explain what information was lost.
Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954). The defective citation substituted the relied-on page for the decision's first page. Restoring 483 identifies the report; adding 495 locates the supplied conclusion. The year and reporter remain unchanged. A short form may omit the first page only when its source-specific conditions and prior identification are satisfied; this question requires a full citation.
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The supplied passage is on reporter page 495, but your PDF viewer labels that image page 13. Which number should you use in the model citation? State what you would check if the PDF had no reporter markers.
Use 495 because the model is a reporter citation. The viewer's page 13 counts sheets in the file and is a different locator. If no reporter markers appear, inspect a reliable reporter-paginated copy or verify another authorized locator and citation format. Do not assume the file-sheet number equals the reporter page. Record the file-to-reporter mapping if it helps your own review.
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Draft a complete sentence quoting the six-word passage supplied in this chapter and attach the full citation. Do not broaden the passage's subject.
The opinion states, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954). The sentence quotes the supplied six words and identifies the historical opinion's passage. A fuller sentence can identify public education as the context. Do not broaden the statement to every facility or every constitutional provision. Different introductory wording is acceptable if it preserves that scope.
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A draft says, “Brown holds that every separate facility violates every constitutional provision.” Does the supplied passage support that sentence? Rewrite it to fit the information actually supplied.
No. The supplied passage concerns public education and its separate educational facilities; it does not establish the draft's universal assertions. A supported revision is: The Brown opinion concludes that separate educational facilities in public education are inherently unequal. Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954). This is a historical passage demonstration, not a comprehensive treatment check. The sentence's scope must match the evidence.
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An editor changes the year to 2026 because that is when the opinion was downloaded. Explain the error and identify a useful place to preserve the download date.
The decision year is 1954, not the year of download. Preserve the download or retrieval date in the source card and example ledger as access information. It can explain which online version was checked, but it cannot change when the Court decided the case. Publication, decision, and access dates perform different functions, and an audit should keep them in separate fields.
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Mark which components of the model should be italicized. Address the comma after the name and the period ending the citation separately.
Italicize the case name, including v. Keep 347 U.S., both pages, and the year parenthetical roman. The comma immediately following the case name lies outside its italic span. The sentence-ending period is roman unless it belongs to an independently italicized abbreviation such as Id. The model's punctuation should not be swept into italics simply because it sits beside the name.
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You found a commercial headnote containing a convenient summary, but not the court's corresponding passage. What verification is still necessary before attributing the summary to the Court?
Open the court's actual opinion and locate the passage supporting the proposed statement. Check the opinion type, wording, context, pinpoint, and scope. A commercial headnote is a publisher's editorial summary, not the court's own holding. If it helps you discover a passage, use it as a research lead and verify the underlying text. Accurate headnote metadata does not establish substantive support.
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Create a source card for EX-001 using this chapter's supplied metadata and CourtListener opinion. Include one express limit on what the check establishes.
A suitable card records EX-001; Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954); the CourtListener URL supplied; majority/conclusion at reporter page 495; the public-education proposition and six-word quotation; retrieval date; and the inspected context. State that the check verifies this historical passage and identity, without a commercial citator or comprehensive current-law check. Other card layouts are acceptable if they preserve those evidence boundaries.