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citation

Citation has two common definitions in a legal context:

• A citation is a reference to a source that supports a statement or is otherwise related to it.
  • In legal documents, the source may be a primary legal authority (such as a case or a statute ) or a secondary legal authority (such as a treatise or dictionary).
• A citation is also an order  from a court or the police commanding one's appearance at a certain time and place.
  • To avoid having to make the appearance, one may attempt to show cause for lack of compliance with the order, or sometimes enter a plea and accept judgment by mail (as with a minor traffic violation).

[Last reviewed in July of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team
]

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