Legal Definitions - annotation

An annotation is a brief summary or note that explains or criticizes a source of law, such as a case or statute. Annotations can be found in legal resources like the United States Code Annotated (USCA) and are often used to provide context and guidance for legal research.

• A lawyer might use an annotation in the USCA to understand how a particular statute has been interpreted by the courts.
• An annotator might write a note explaining the significance of a particular case and how it relates to other cases in the same area of law.

These examples illustrate how annotations can be used to provide valuable information and analysis for legal research. By summarizing and analyzing legal sources, annotations help lawyers and researchers understand the law and how it has been applied in practice.