Legal Definitions - parallel citation

Definition: A parallel citation is an additional reference to a legal precedent or authority that has been reported in more than one reporter. It is often used to provide multiple sources for a case.

Example: In a legal citation, a parallel citation would look like this: "Morgan v. United States, 304 U.S. 1, 58 S.Ct. 773, 82 L.Ed. 1129 (1938)." The main citation is to the U.S. Reports, and the parallel citations are to the Supreme Court Reporter and to the Lawyer's Edition.

Explanation: The example shows how a parallel citation provides additional sources for a legal precedent. In this case, the same case has been reported in multiple reporters, and the parallel citation provides the reader with the option to look up the case in any of the three reporters.