Understanding Citations
Learn how to work with case citations in Second Seat.
Citation Format
Second Seat provides citations in standard format:
- Court of Appeals: People v. Smith, 35 N.Y.3d 123 (2020)
- Appellate Division: People v. Jones, 189 A.D.3d 456 (2d Dept. 2020)
- Trial Courts: People v. Brown, 68 Misc.3d 789 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 2020)
Citation Verification
Second Seat automatically verifies citations in AI responses. Each citation shows a verification status:
- Pending - Citation is queued for verification
- Verifying - Verification in progress
- Verified - Citation confirmed as valid
- Not Found - Citation could not be verified in our database
Viewing Citation Details
Click on any citation to see more information:
- Case name - Full case title
- Citation - Volume, reporter, and page number
- Year - Year of decision
- Court - The court that issued the decision
- External link - Access the full case text
Citations appear in a collapsible panel below the AI's response. The panel automatically expands and scrolls into view once verification is complete, so you can review the results immediately.
Verifying Citations
Even with automatic verification, always confirm AI-provided citations:
- Check that the holding is correctly stated
- Verify the case hasn't been overruled
- Read the full case for complete context
Building Your Research
Use citations to:
- Start with the AI's suggestions
- Read the full cases in Westlaw/Lexis
- Check citing references for more recent cases
- Shepardize to confirm good law