Citation policy

Every factual or legal claim on a state guide traces to a primary source, cited by name, with a retrieval date and a verification date. This is what that citation looks like in practice:

Primary sources — official statutes, legislature sites, court opinions, and government materials — are preferred whenever available. Reputable secondary sources, such as established legal references, are used only for context or cross-checking, not as the basis for a citation on their own. When sources conflict, primary legal authority takes priority, consistent with the standard summarized on the Sources & Methodology page.

Citations point you to the underlying legal text so you can inspect it directly; they do not constitute legal advice, and their presence does not mean a citation or the guide around it has been reviewed by an attorney. Statutes, court materials, and the government webpages that publish them can change or move after a citation is recorded, which is why each source card includes a retrieval date and a verification date rather than a claim of permanent accuracy.