The Law Mind

Citing Unpublished Judicial Decisions

D. Utah DUCivR 7-2

Permitted Citation. (1) An unpublished decision is a judicial opinion, order, judgment, or other written disposition that is designated “unpublished,” “not for publication,” “non-precedential,” “not precedent,” or the like. Local Rules of Civil Practice - District of Utah Eff. December 2025 (2) A party may cite to an unpublished decision for its persuasive value or under the doctrines of law of the case, claim preclusion, or issue preclusion. Citation Form. A citation to an unpublished decision must include an appropriate parenthetical notation stating that it is unpublished and a reference to an electronic database, when possible (e.g., United States v. Keeble, No. 05-5190, 184 F. App'x. 756, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 14871 (10th Cir. June 15, 2006) (not selected for publication); United States v. Gartrell, No. 2:04CR97 DB, 2005 WL 2265362 (D. Utah Sept. 7, 2005) (unpublished). Copies. If an unpublished decision is not available in a publicly accessible electronic database, a party must attach a copy to the filed document. Even if a decision is publicly accessible, a party must provide a copy to the court or another party upon request.
Official source: https://www.utd.uscourts.gov/sites/utd/files/Civil%20Rules%20Final%202025.pdf · retrieved 2026-07-23