For abbreviations that aren`t on this list, here are some alternative sites to look for: Here are the acronyms and abbreviations used in the Washington Legal Researcher`s Deskbook 3d and commonly found in Washington legal documents. The list includes publications (full titles are in italics); Law societies and legal organizations; federal and state authorities, committees, commissions and departments; legal conditions; court rules; Regulations; and electronic databases and services. This is a representative and non-exhaustive list. A list of state abbreviations since 1831 can be found below. A more complete list of current abbreviations, including all U.S. possessions, is available online at pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28apb.htm. See also “View” above. “vs.” is used in most scholarly writings in other fields, but “v.” is used in legal writing only. On July 1, 1963, the Post Office Department introduced the five-digit postal code. At that time, most addressing devices could only contain 23 characters (including spaces) in the bottom line of the address. To make room for the zip code, state names had to be abbreviated.
The department submitted a first list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the department accepted the current abbreviations with two letters. Since then, only one change has been made: in 1969, at the request of the Canadian Postal Service, the abbreviation of Nebraska, originally NB, was changed to NE to avoid confusion with New Brunswick in Canada. Try searching one of the following print sources for legal abbreviations that were not found online. These publications are available regularly in legal and other libraries. In legal documents, it is common to cite other publications using standard abbreviations for the title of each source. Abbreviations can also be found for common words or legal phrases. These quotes and abbreviations can be found in court decisions, laws, regulations, journal articles, books and other documents. Below is a basic list of very common abbreviations.
Since publishers have different practices regarding printing abbreviations, abbreviations can be found with or without dots for each letter. For example, the Code of Federal Regulations may be abbreviated to “C.F.R.” or simply “CFR.” Sources: 1831, Table of Post Offices in the United States; 1874 and 1943, United States Official Postal Guide; June 1963, Postbulletin 20368; Oct. 1963, Post Office Department Publication 59, abbreviations for use with postal code. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. Hyperlinks have been added for certain judicial rules, federal and state agencies, publications and organizations. Further links are provided to Law Library catalogue entries for some publications. Promotion of Zip Codes in New York, 1966 To make room for the zip code in the last line of an address, state names had to be abbreviated. Previously, the post office preferred state names to be spelled in full to avoid confusion. Adapted from: Washington Legal Researcher`s Deskbook, 3d, pages 263-69 (2002).
