Dates — Day, Month, Year, and Abbreviations
Numbers
Rulebase Summary
When writing a complete date, use figures for the day and year. In the usual American order (month, day, year), ordinals such as st, nd, rd, and th are omitted from the day. British-style dates omit commas. When the day precedes the month or stands apart from it, ordinals are added to the day. Abbreviated dates separate figures with a slant or virgule (11/1/97).
Examples
A. The contract was signed on March 3rd, 2004.
A. The contract was signed on March 3, 2004.
In the usual month-day-year order, ordinals are not added to the day.
A. On the 5 of June, we filed the motion.
A. On the 5th of June, we filed the motion.
When the day precedes or is separated from the month, the ordinal is used.
Transcript Notes
The question of whether numerical expressions should be written verbatim is a fundamental decision for every court reporter. If all numerical expressions are to be written as spoken, then 'November first, nineteen ninety-seven' must be written that way — you could not write 3:05 p.m. if the speaker says 'three-oh-five p.m.'
However, a time-honored, tried-and-true method exists for writing dates, money, and mixed numbers traditionally. No recommendation is being made to edit or change numerical expressions as spoken, but the court reporter should see that a traditional method exists and consider using it as often as possible.
When 'dollars' and 'cents' are omitted by the speaker, the reporter should use words or figures but no money signs — these are times when the lawyer should clarify the answer for the record.
Style Guide References (8)
Morson's
Morson's
Morson's
BGGP
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP