Italics
2 rules
Italicize Legal Latin Reference Terms (Supra, Infra, Ibid.)
Italicize the legal Latin reference terms 'supra,' 'infra,' and 'ibid.' when they appear in the transcript. These are short-form citation references used to point back to or forward to other authorities or pages in legal writing.
Latin Legal Terms: Assimilated vs. Foreign (Italics or Not)
Lawyers frequently use Latin legal phrases because they have been tested and interpreted in courts over many years. Some Latin terms have been assimilated into English and are written WITHOUT italics or quotation marks (ad hoc, antebellum, bona fide, caveat emptor, circa, cum laude, de facto, de jure, ergo, et al., ex officio, fait accompli, fiat, habeas corpus, in extremis, in re, in toto, laches, magnum cum laude, mandamus, mea culpa, modus operandi, non compos mentis, non sequitur, per annum, per capita, per diem, per se, postmortem, prima facie, pro forma, pro tempore, quasi, quid pro quo, status quo, sub rosa, summa cum laude). Other Latin terms have NOT been assimilated and SHOULD be italicized (or quoted if italics aren't available): a fortiori, a posteriori, a priori, ad infinitum, ad litem, ad valorem, amicus curiae, arguendo, assumpsit, casus belli, corpus delicti, corpus juris, de bene esse, de minimis, de novo, ex parte, ex post facto, ex rel., flagrante delicto, in absentia, in camera, in curia, in limine, in loco parentis, in personam, in rem, in situ, inter vivos, ipse dixit, ipso facto, mens rea, nisi, nolo contendere, nunc pro tunc, onus probandi, pendente lite, per stirpes, persona non grata, pro rata, pro se, pro tanto, quantum meruit, reductio ad absurdum, res gestae, res ipsa loquitur, res judicata, sic, sine die, sine qua non, stare decisis, sub judice, subpoena ad testificandum, subpoena duces tecum, sui generis, supra, ultra vires, verbatim et literatim, vis-à-vis, voir dire, vox populi, writ of certiorari.