# Eleventh Circuit Table of Citations: 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d), Asterisks, No Passim

> Eleventh Circuit table of citations: 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d) requires asterisks for key authorities and bars passim; double spacing, order and a sample entry.

*Updated: 2026-09-24*

**The short answer:** The Eleventh Circuit calls the table of authorities the **Table of Citations**, and it has the strictest rule of any federal circuit. 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d) requires the table to show every location of each citation, to “contain asterisks in the margin identifying the citations upon which the party primarily relies,” and not to use *passim*: list every page, with ranges such as “7-10” only when the authority is cited on every page in the range. The table must be double-spaced (11th Cir. R. 32-3), comes after the statement regarding oral argument and the table of contents (11th Cir. R. 28-1), is required in reply briefs (11th Cir. R. 28-3), and does not count toward length (11th Cir. R. 32-4; FRAP 32(f)). General formatting guidance, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-09-24.

**Fast facts**

- Name: “Table of Citations” (11th Cir. R. 28-1(d)). FRAP 28(a)(3) calls it a table of authorities; the contents are the same.
- Asterisks: **required** in the margin for the citations the party primarily relies on. The D.C. Circuit is the only other circuit with an asterisk convention, and there it is optional.
- *Passim*: barred. Same wording as Supreme Court Rule 34.2.
- Spacing: the Table of Contents and the Table of Citations “must be double-spaced” (11th Cir. R. 32-3).
- Order (11th Cir. R. 28-1): cover, statement regarding oral argument, table of contents, Table of Citations, then the adoption statement, jurisdiction, issues, case, summary, argument. A CIP, when included, “must immediately follow the cover page” (11th Cir. R. 26.1-3(d)).
- Numbering and length: the front-matter items, including the Table of Citations, “need not be numbered and do not count towards page limitations or type-volume limitations” (11th Cir. R. 32-4).
- Citation style: Bluebook or ALWD Guide, with pinpoint pages; state cases cross-referenced to the national reporter (11th Cir. R. 28-1(j)).
- Last verified: 2026-09-24 against the Eleventh Circuit Rules (August 1, 2026 edition), the Sample Shell Brief (Dec. 2025) and the Briefs Checklist (Dec. 2025).

## What 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d) says

> “(d) Table of Citations. The Table of Citations shall show the locations in the brief of citations, and shall contain asterisks in the margin identifying the citations upon which the party primarily relies. The Table of Citations should not use the “passim” notation, but should instead list every page on which an authority is cited. Page ranges may be used if the authority is cited on every page in the range (e.g., “7-10” instead of “7, 8, 9, 10”).” (11th Cir. R. 28-1(d))

Three duties follow. **Show every location**: each page where the authority is cited, counting short forms, *Id.* and *supra* references. **Mark the key authorities**: an asterisk in the left margin beside each citation you primarily rely on. The rule does not set a number or prescribe a legend; mark the authorities your argument actually turns on, not every case. **No [*passim*](/passim-table-of-authorities)**: ranges are the only compression, and only for unbroken runs of pages. See [Id. and supra in a table of authorities](/id-supra-table-of-authorities).

**Eleventh Circuit rules that affect the Table of Citations**

| Rule | What it says | Effect on the table |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FRAP 28(a)(3) | Table of authorities with page references | Baseline |
| 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d) | Every location; asterisks for primarily relied-on citations; no passim; true ranges only | The core rule |
| 11th Cir. R. 28-1(c) | Table of contents must give page references to each section and each argument heading | Build both tables from the same final pages |
| 11th Cir. R. 28-1(j) | Bluebook or ALWD; pinpoint pages; national reporter cross-reference for state cases | Table entries follow the same style |
| 11th Cir. R. 28-3 | Reply brief needs only items (a), (c), (d), (j), (l), (m) | Reply briefs still need a Table of Citations |
| 11th Cir. R. 32-3 | Table of Contents and Table of Citations must be double-spaced | No single-spaced tables |
| 11th Cir. R. 32-4 | Front-matter items need not be numbered and do not count toward length | Tables excluded from the word count |
| 11th Cir. R. 26.1-3(c)-(d) | CIP pages numbered C-1 of 3, C-2 of 3…; CIP immediately follows the cover | CIP is not part of the table |

## Example Eleventh Circuit Table of Citations

The court's Sample Shell Brief shows the layout: category headings, a “Page(s)” column, and an asterisk before the case name in the margin. The authorities below are real Eleventh Circuit decisions; the [page numbers](/table-of-authorities-page-numbers) and the choice of which to star are illustrative.

**Example entries (Shell Brief layout)**

| Entry | Page(s) |
| --- | --- |
| **Cases** |  |
| *Bonner v. City of Prichard*, 661 F.2d 1206 (11th Cir. 1981) (en banc) | 14 |
| * *Sapuppo v. Allstate Floridian Ins. Co.*, 739 F.3d 678 (11th Cir. 2014) | 9, 17-18 |
| * *Weiland v. Palm Beach Cnty. Sheriff's Off.*, 792 F.3d 1313 (11th Cir. 2015) | 6, 10-12, 19 |
| **Statutes** |  |
| 28 U.S.C. § 1291 | 1 |
| **Rules** |  |
| Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) | 6, 11 |

*Bonner* is worth knowing when you build an Eleventh Circuit table: it adopted as binding precedent the decisions of the former [Fifth Circuit](/fifth-circuit-table-of-authorities) handed down before October 1, 1981, so pre-split Fifth Circuit cases appear in Eleventh Circuit tables as “(5th Cir. 1979)” and the like. One caution if you copy the Shell Brief's example: it prints *Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly* as “550 U.S. 558”; the opinion begins at 550 U.S. 544.

## Checklist and pro se resources

- **Briefs Checklist (Dec. 2025):** lists “Table of Citations (w/page references)” among the parts of a brief ([PDF](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Briefs_Checklist.DEC25.pdf)).
- **Sample Shell Brief (Dec. 2025):** “[I]nclude asterisks in the margin identifying the citations upon which the party primarily relies” ([PDF](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Sample_Shell_Brief.DEC25.pdf)).
- **Pro Se Handbook** (last revised December 2025, posted with attachments June 2026): includes the same checklist and shell brief, with the same asterisk instruction. We found no informal brief form; pro se briefs follow the same rule ([PDF](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Pro%20Se%20Handbook%20Final%2C%20With%20Attachments.JUN26.pdf)). See [table of authorities for pro se appellants](/table-of-authorities-pro-se-appellant).

> **Common mistake:** filing an Eleventh Circuit brief with Word's “Use passim” box checked and no asterisks. **Correct approach:** clear the passim option and rebuild, list every page (true ranges only), star the authorities you primarily rely on, and double-space the table.

> **Where BriefAuthority fits:** [BriefAuthority](/table-of-authorities-generator) is in development (early access). It is designed to list every page from your [final PDF](/table-of-authorities-from-pdf), compress only true ranges, and let you mark primary authorities with asterisks before export. Specification as designed; confirmed at launch.

## Frequently asked

**Does the Eleventh Circuit require asterisks in the table of authorities?**

Yes. 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d) says the Table of Citations “shall contain asterisks in the margin identifying the citations upon which the party primarily relies.” It is the only federal circuit that requires them; the [D.C. Circuit](/federal-circuit-table-of-authorities-rules) makes them optional.

**Can I use passim in an Eleventh Circuit brief?**

No. Rule 28-1(d) says the Table of Citations “should not use the ‘passim’ notation, but should instead list every page on which an authority is cited.” A range such as “7-10” is allowed only if the authority is cited on every page in it.

**Why does the Eleventh Circuit call it a Table of Citations?**

That is the term in 11th Cir. R. 28-1(d), and FRAP 32(f) uses the same phrase when it excludes the “table of citations” from length. The content is what [FRAP 28(a)(3)](/table-of-authorities-rules) calls a table of authorities.

**Does a reply brief need a Table of Citations in the Eleventh Circuit?**

Yes. 11th Cir. R. 28-3 says a reply brief need contain only items (a), (c), (d), (j), (l) and (m) of Rule 28-1, and item (d) is the Table of Citations.

**Can the Table of Citations be single-spaced?**

No. 11th Cir. R. 32-3 lists what may be single-spaced (cover page, certificate of service, direct quotes, headings and footnotes) and says all other typed matter must be double-spaced, “including the Table of Contents and the Table of Citations.”

**Does the Table of Citations count toward the word limit?**

No. 11th Cir. R. 32-4 says the front-matter items, including the Table of Citations, do not count toward page or type-volume limits, consistent with FRAP 32(f).

Last verified: 2026-09-24, from the Eleventh Circuit Rules PDF (August 1, 2026 edition), the Sample Shell Brief and Briefs Checklist (both Dec. 2025) and the Pro Se Handbook, all downloaded from ca11.uscourts.gov. Rules change; confirm before filing. General formatting information, not legal advice.

**Keep reading**

- [Table of authorities rules in all 13 federal courts of appeals](/federal-circuit-table-of-authorities-rules) — Local rule, passim status and asterisk convention, circuit by circuit.
- [Ninth Circuit table of authorities](/ninth-circuit-table-of-authorities) — Circuit Rule 28-1, the Shell Brief and the passim caution.
- [Second Circuit table of authorities](/second-circuit-table-of-authorities) — FRAP 28 baseline, Local Rule 32.1 page numbering, summary orders.
- [Fifth Circuit table of authorities](/fifth-circuit-table-of-authorities) — 5th Cir. R. 28.3 order of contents and the clerk's checklist.
- [Passim in a table of authorities](/passim-table-of-authorities) — Which courts ban it and what to write instead.
- [Table of authorities rules](/table-of-authorities-rules) — FRAP 28, Supreme Court Rule 34.2, category order.
- [When is a table of authorities required?](/when-is-a-table-of-authorities-required) — Thresholds by court and document type.
- [Table of authorities rules by state](/table-of-authorities-by-state) — State appellate rules on TOA contents.
- [Supreme Court table of authorities](/supreme-court-table-of-authorities) — Rule 24 and Rule 34.2 in one place.

**Sources**

- [Cornell LII — FRAP 28](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frap/rule_28)
- [Cornell LII — FRAP 32](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frap/rule_32)
- [Eleventh Circuit — Rules, Aug. 1, 2026 edition (PDF)](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Rules%20Bookmarked.AUG26.pdf)
- [Eleventh Circuit — Sample Shell Brief, Dec. 2025 (PDF)](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Sample_Shell_Brief.DEC25.pdf)
- [Eleventh Circuit — Briefs Checklist, Dec. 2025 (PDF)](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Briefs_Checklist.DEC25.pdf)
- [Eleventh Circuit — Pro Se Handbook, with attachments (PDF)](https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/courtdocs/clk/Pro%20Se%20Handbook%20Final%2C%20With%20Attachments.JUN26.pdf)
- [Supreme Court of the United States — Rules of the Court, effective Mar. 16, 2026 (PDF)](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026RulesoftheCourt_WEB.pdf)