Court Caption Blocks
A two-column court caption—a table or lines?
✅ NormativeSettled. The requirement holds as written.📄 Page ruleCan be applied from the page alone.Read §5.4 in the RFC ↗
Every printed string of a court caption MUST be transcribed, the left column as one block of lines
and then the right column, each printed line on its own line. Blank party and case-number lines
MUST be [blank]. The § divider and the rules MUST NOT be transcribed, and the caption MUST NOT be
rendered as a table.
When it applies
The head of a court filing: the parties stacked on the left (Plaintiff, v., Defendant), a
divider — a vertical rule, a column of § signs, or a box edge — and the court, case number and
document title on the right.
______________________, § IN THE JUSTICE COURT
PLAINTIFF §
v. § PRECINCT NO. __________
______________________, §
DEFENDANT § GREGG COUNTY, TEXAS
The § column is the one thing that is not content; everything else is.
Reading the examples. Each one pairs a source page with the output the rule expects. ✅ Sample: the rule applies. ❌ Counter-sample: it looks like it applies and does not, or a rendering got it wrong. A non-conforming output, in red, is shown only for contrast. … marks content left out of an excerpt.
Requirements
- Every printed string of the caption MUST appear in the output, including labels such as
PLAINTIFFandv.. - The left column MUST come first and the right column after it, each as one block, each printed line on its own line within its block. Where the caption has more than two cells, they are taken left to right, one block each.
- A blank party line or case-number line MUST be
[blank], with its printed label beside it — see Blanks Inside Sentences (§10.4.1). - The caption MUST NOT be rendered as a two-column table, a key-value list, or row by row
alternating left and right. The
§divider and the rules MUST NOT be transcribed.
a subpoena caption
Under a centred court heading, a ruled box of three cells: two blank party lines with vs between
them on the left; CASE NUMBER over a blank line and the three-line title SUBPOENA / FOR /
DEPOSITION in the centre; an empty File Stamp Here box on the right. The cells are taken left
to right, each as one block of lines. On this page SUBPOENA FOR DEPOSITION is the document's own
title, so it is rendered as the document heading, its three printed lines joined. The page header
line above is elided.
Source page
Expected output · excerpt, court heading and caption box
…
STATE OF WYVERNE COUNTY OF HALBROOK IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
[blank] vs [blank]
CASE NUMBER [blank]
SUBPOENA FOR DEPOSITION
File Stamp Here
…
<!-- … -->
STATE OF WYVERNE COUNTY OF HALBROOK
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
[blank]
vs
[blank]
CASE NUMBER
[blank]
SUBPOENA FOR DEPOSITION
File Stamp Here
<!-- … -->a § divider
A bold CAUSE NO. line with its blank above the caption; blank party lines with PLAINTIFF,
v. and DEFENDANT on the left, a column of seven § on the divider, and the court, the
precinct (with its blank) and the county on the right. The § column is dropped; the left block
comes before the right.
Source page
Expected output · excerpt, caption
CAUSE NO. [blank]
[blank] PLAINTIFF v. [blank] DEFENDANT
IN THE JUSTICE COURT PRECINCT NO. [blank] BORVIKA COUNTY, HALVANA
…
**CAUSE NO.** [blank]
[blank]
PLAINTIFF
v.
[blank]
DEFENDANT
IN THE JUSTICE COURT
PRECINCT NO. [blank]
BORVIKA COUNTY, HALVANA
<!-- … -->Neighbouring rules, and how they differ
More
Rule id layout-court-caption-blocks · layout legal forms