Capitalize Government and Federal When Parties to a Lawsuit
Capitalization
Rulebase Summary
Capitalize the words 'Government' and 'Federal' when they are parties to the lawsuit being reported. Outside the context of a lawsuit, do not capitalize 'government' — even when referring to the federal government of the United States. The word 'federal' is generally lowercase when it refers to the central government in regular contexts.
Examples
A. The government will prove this by a preponderance of the evidence.
A. The Government will prove this by a preponderance of the evidence.
Government is a party to the lawsuit — capitalize.
A. The Federal government is studying the issues of health coverage.
A. The federal government is studying the issues of health coverage.
General context, not a lawsuit party — lowercase.
Transcript Notes
Because the U.S. government is so massive, the word 'government' is generally not capitalized outside of the context of a lawsuit, although there could be special occasions when capping it is appropriate. Originally 'federal' referred to a political party; today it refers to the central government and is generally lowercase.
Style Guide References (1)
BGGP