Bluebook 22 updates reflect modern legal practice
If you’re still citing cases the same way you did five years ago, it’s time for a quick refresh. The previous edition of The Bluebook was released back in 2020, which means a lot has changed, both in legal practice and publishing standards.
The 22nd Edition of The Bluebook (Bluebook 22), released in May 2025, updates rules to reflect more modern legal practice and make legal writing more consistent and accessible. That includes addressing changes in how court documents are filed electronically, how internet sources are used and archived, and how emerging authorities, such as podcasts and social media posts, are cited.
As noted in the Preface to the Twenty-Second Edition:
“The Bluebook strives to be responsive to suggestions from the legal community. In this edition, we have focused on making The Bluebook more practical for modern legal practice.”
Since the updates are incremental rather than sweeping, the subtle changes in Bluebook 22 can trip up even seasoned legal writers—and courts are handing out real-money sanctions to attorneys who ignore the new guidelines and get things wrong.
Now is the time to pay attention to Bluebook changes
It often takes some time for new Bluebook rules to show up in everyday practice. Courts, law firms, law schools, and some legaltech platforms don’t update their citation guidelines overnight—especially if local court rules still refer to earlier editions.
As a result, practitioners are still required—or feel compelled—to cite according to the prior edition, which makes compliance very complicated. At TypeLaw, we’re seeing more practitioners saying, “Wait—when did that change?!” when their briefs are unexpectedly rejected.
Thanks to TypeLaw’s combination of AI automation + the human touch on each order, we’re prepared to step right in and help, so your briefs comply with all relevant guidelines and local rules of court.
What’s changed in Bluebook 22? Here are the common errors we’re seeing.
Staying current on citation rules isn’t just about compliance, it’s about your credibility with the court, opposing counsel, and your clients.Here are some of the most common errors we’re now seeing when attorneys and paralegals submit briefs to TypeLaw for formatting—plus bullet-proof fixes you can implement before a clerk bounces your brief.
1. Rule 18.3 – AI citations without proof
Mistake: Dropping ChatGPT text or CoCounsel summaries into a brief with no snapshot or prompt disclosure.
Real-world sting: According to Bloomberg Law, Judge Hanlon fined counsel $6,000 after briefs contained three hallucinated cases in Mid Cent. Operating Eng’rs Health & Welfare Fund v. HoosierVac LLC, No. 2:24-cv-00326-JPH-MJD, 2025 WL 574234, at *2–3 (S.D. Ind. Feb. 21, 2025).
New rule: The Bluebook 22 now requires a PDF or screenshot of the AI output, identification of the model (e.g., “ChatGPT 4o”), and a permanent archive link. URLs alone are “not reliable.”
TypeLaw in action: TypeLaw uses a combination of human expertise + AI automation to flag and prevent embarrassing hallucinated citations from ending up in your brief—so you don’t end up as the next cautionary tale in Above The Law.
2. Rule 18.2.1(d) – “Encouraged” archiving Is now required
Mistake: Pasting a bare link or “last visited” date.
New rule: The former “archiving encouraged” language is gone. Every Internet citation must include a Perma‑style archive or state that a PDF is “on file.”
Example: U.S. Dep’t of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm’n, Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers, (Jan. 16, 2025) (PDF on file with author).
TypeLaw in action: Our AI-automated brief formatting platform now auto-flags any URL lacking an archive. Soon, it will be able to create a PDF archive of all citations to authorities and records, hyperlink, and host them privately.
3. Bluepages B5.3 – Goodbye “(cleaned up)”
Mistake: Tidying quotations with the trendy parenthetical “(cleaned up).”
New rule: Use “(citation modified)” when you remove internal quotes, brackets, or ellipses.
TypeLaw in action: Our team will swap the phrase for you so that your brief is rule-compliant.
4. Bluepages B1.2 – Meet the Contrast signal
Mistake: Still cramming everything into “compare…with” cites.
New rule: “Contrast” is a new introductory signal, not merely a style tweak, and now stands on its own when authorities support an opposite proposition.
TypeLaw in action: The cite-checker within the TypeLaw platform parses every signal, flags any “compare … with” string that should now be “contrast,” and automatically rewrites it for you—no manual search-and-replace.
5. Rule 12.5(a) – Name the publisher for online statutes
Mistake: Citing Westlaw statutes without naming “West” or “LexisNexis.”
New rule: The publisher must precede the database.
Example: Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11362.3 (West, Westlaw through Apr. 2025 update).
TypeLaw in action: Paste any statutory cite from Westlaw or Lexis and we auto-insert the hyperlink, publisher, and the current date, satisfying the new rule in one click.
6. Tables – Abbreviation shake-up
Mistake: Using the 21st-edition short form “Am. L. Inst.”
New rule: The institutional author American Law Institute is now simply “A.L.I.”
TypeLaw in action: Our platform automatically highlights outdated resources, organization abbreviations, and then corrects to the new form, in‑line.
7. Rule 22 – Treat tribal nations as sovereigns
Mistake: Citing a tribal court opinion like a state case and omitting the tribe’s own reporter.
New rule: Provide a parallel citation—tribal format first if it exists, then Westlaw/Lexis.
Example (Post-rule): Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation v. Couillard, NO. MPTC-CV-AA-2024-109, 2025 WL 1407951 (Mash. Pequot Tribal Ct. May 15, 2025).
TypeLaw in action: Our team will flag the need to provide a parallel citation and will format the citation accurately.
Avoid the Catch-22 of The Bluebook 22
The Bluebook 22 tightens digital, AI, and tribal citation rules—just as courts are increasingly punishing sloppy cites. This makes it both more challenging, and more important than ever, to format your briefs and citations accurately.
TypeLaw’s experienced team + purpose-built AI automation helps you avoid that “Catch-22” before your brief lands on a clerk’s desk, allowing you to focus more time on sharpening your argument, instead of the technical details of your work product.
This video shows how TypeLaw can quickly transform an unformatted Word or WordPerfect draft brief into a local-rules compliant, hyperlinked, ready-to-file PDF e-brief. If you’re curious to learn more or need help with an upcoming filing, just contact us.