Citator is a legal term used to refer to a reference book that lists and indexes court decisions. The spelling of this word can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as /ˈsaɪteɪtər/. The first syllable is pronounced like the word "sight", the second syllable is pronounced like the letter "t", and the final syllable is pronounced like the word "er". The spelling of this word follows English pronunciation rules, with the letter "c" being replaced by "s" to reflect its sound.
A citator, in legal terminology, is a tool or resource that provides comprehensive information about legal cases and their subsequent treatment in other legal authorities. It functions as a reference guide used by legal professionals, researchers, and scholars to track the history, significance, and subsequent interpretation of a particular legal decision.
A citator typically includes a variety of information about a case, such as its citation details (e.g., name, court, date, and citation number), procedural history, and the fundamental legal principles established by the case. The critical aspect of a citator lies in its ability to link a case with subsequent references, thereby creating a network of judicial dependence and influence.
Through a citator, users can discover if a case has been followed, distinguished, overruled, or disapproved by subsequent judicial decisions. These references help establish the legal and authoritative value of a particular case. Citators also often provide summaries or excerpts from later cases that discuss, analyze, or apply the earlier decision. This offers researchers a broader understanding of how a case has been interpreted and its impact on subsequent legal developments.
In essence, a citator serves as a valuable research tool, providing a detailed overview and analysis of legal authorities and their relationships. By tracing the evolution of cases through subsequent references, citators assist legal professionals in determining the current legal status and relevance of a decision while facilitating comprehensive and accurate legal research.
The word "Citator" is derived from the Latin word "cito", which means "to quote" or "to refer to". In legal and scholarly contexts, a Citator is a tool or reference work used to track and trace citations in legal cases or scholarly articles. It helps to establish the precedential value and history of a particular case or article by providing information about subsequent citations and references to it. Thus, the term "Citator" effectively describes its purpose as a citation tracking and referencing tool.