aff'g

Law & Legal abbreviation · Legal Citation

aff'g
Stands forAffirming
CategoriesLaw & Legal

aff'g stands for Affirming, a legal citation abbreviation.

Prior-history phrase used when citing an appellate decision to show which lower-court decision it affirmed, as in "aff'g 300 F. Supp. 3d 1 (S.D.N.Y. 2018)". Prior history is included only when it matters to the point being made.

Example: Doe v. Roe, 900 F.3d 10 (2d Cir. 2019), aff'g 300 F. Supp. 3d 1 (S.D.N.Y. 2018), sets out the full history.

Usage notes

Bluebook Rule 10.7 makes prior history optional, unlike subsequent history, which is required. The matching form for reversals is "rev'g", and both appear among the explanatory phrases in Bluebook Table T8. Prior history, when included, comes before any subsequent history in the citation.

More legal citation abbreviations

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  • A.3d – Atlantic Reporter, Third Series
  • A.D.3d – Appellate Division Reports, Third Series
  • A.L.R. – American Law Reports
  • AC – Appeal Cases
  • aff'd – Affirmed
  • All ER – All England Law Reports
  • Am. Jur. 2d – American Jurisprudence, Second Edition
  • amend. – Amendment
  • art. – Article
  • Ass'n – Association
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Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.