Below are a few examples of more commonly-used legal references. Please note that the APA Publication Manual is the best place to go for help with referencing a variety of different legal sources. Please refer to Chapter 11, starting on page 353.
Additionally, APA refers back to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (2015). While a subscription is needed to see the full manual, Bluebook has a Quick Style Guide for basic legal references.
Cornell University Law School has a very comprehensive guide and eBook on citing legal sources.
Basic template: Name of Act, Title Source § Section Number (Year). URL
Federal statute codified in the United States Code: Name of Act, Title Number U.S.C. § Section Number (Year in source being cited). URL
Note: The year in the reference list entry/in-text citation should refer to the year in which the statute was published in the source being cited. This date might be different from the year in the name of the act.
Parenthetical citation: (Americans With Disabilities Act, 2018)
Narrative citation: Americans With Disabilities Act (2018)
Federal statute with a public law number: Name of Act, Pub. L. No. xxx, Volume Number Stat. Page Number (Year approved). URL
Note: This refers to laws published in the United States Statutes at Large (Stat.). The volume and page numbers refer to the United States Statutes at Large.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010). https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ148/PLAW-111publ148.pdf
Parenthetical citation: (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010)
Narrative citation: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)
Parenthetical citation: (Higher Education Opportunity Act, 2008)
Narrative citation: Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008)
State statute (Massachusetts): Name of Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. Chapter Number, § Section Number (Year). URL
Note: Year should refer to the date of the Massachusetts General Laws (Mass. Gen. Laws) that is being cited; the official version of the Massachusetts General Laws is published every two years.
Parenthetical citation: (Nurse Anesthetist and Nurse Practitioner Services, 2019)
Narrative citation: Nurse Anesthetist and Nurse Practitioner Services (2019)
U.S. Supreme Court case: Party Name v. Party Name, Volume Number U.S. Page Number (year case was decided). URL
Parenthetical citation: (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954)
Narrative citation: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court or Massachusetts Court of Appeals case : Party Name v. Party Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year). URL
Note: Court cases decided in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court or the Massachusetts Court of Appeals are printed in the North Eastern Reporter (N.E.), the North Eastern Reporter Second (N.E.2d) and the North Eastern Reporter Third (N.E.3d). The Volume and Page refer to the version of the North Eastern Reporter used for the particular case. For "Court," use the abbreviation for the court in which the case was decided (Supreme Judicial Court cases use Mass.; Court of Appeals cases use Mass. App. Ct.).
Parenthetical citation: (McKenzie v. Brigham & Women's Hospital, 1989)
Narrative citation: McKenzie v. Brigham & Women's Hospital (1989)
Addressing disparities in life expectancy: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, 117th Cong. (2021). https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/addressing-disparities-in-life-expectancy
Parenthetical citation: (Addressing Disparities in Life Expectancy, 2021)
Narrative citation: Addressing Disparities in Life Expectancy (2021)
An act investing in the future of our health: Hearing on S.2774 before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, 192nd Gen. Crt. (Mass. 2022, April 11). https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/4257
Parenthetical citation: (An Act Investing in the Future of our Health, 2022)
Narrative citation: An Act Investing in the Future of our Health (2022)