How to Cite to a Restatement

Unlike some other legal secondary sources, Restatements are very authoritative, meaning that they can be good to cite in legal documents. Produced by scholars from the American Law Institute, the Restatements provide a clear overview of the law in a given area (the “blackletter law”) and additionally provide helpful comments and illustrations. Some of the topics covered by Restatements include: torts, contracts, trusts, and unfair competition. Not all legal topics have a corresponding Restatement.

The Bluebook rule 12.9.4 explains how to cite a Restatement. This rule also covers model codes, principles, standards, sentencing guidelines, and uniform acts.

Here’s an example of how you’d cite to a provision on defective food products from the Restatement on torts:

Restatement (Third) of Torts § 7 (Am. Law Inst. 1998).

Rule 12.9.4 also gives you guidance on Restatement subtitles, comments, and illustrations.