Verify a legal citation actually exists before using it. CASES: returns the real case at that citation, its treatment flag, and whether the name matches: expected_case_name, or else a case name written in the citation itself ("Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113"). This catches hallucinated or miscopied citations. A reporter cite that is not indexed comes back with a verdict, and the verdict is what to act on (MCP13_20260925): exists_unindexed = the case is REAL (a court in the corpus prints this exact citation, see cited_by_corpus, or the case is found by name and year, see name_candidates) and only our reporter index lacks it -- never call it a hallucination; not_indexed = no evidence either way, read volume_coverage: for 2019+ volumes of the state regional reporters we often index under 30% of the cases (coverage_pct), so a miss there is weak evidence; interior_mismatch / strong = the page provably sits inside a differently named case, or the volume is complete and nothing turns up by name -- treat as likely fabricated; name_mismatch = opinions in the corpus print this citation for a DIFFERENTLY named case (cited_by_corpus.examples[].printed_as): the cite is real but not the case you named -- fix the name or the cite. Local misses are also re-checked LIVE against CourtListener. STATUTES, REGULATIONS AND COURT RULES: a citation that is not a reporter cite is checked against the corpus that holds it (50 states + DC, 44 states' court rules, the Florida Administrative Code, USC/CFR/federal rules/USSG) and comes back with type, verified, the canonical citation, title, url and link_md; verified=false carries nearby sections and a coverage note, and is NEVER proof the section does not exist. ALWAYS use this to verify any citation that will appear in a legal document. With quote, the quoted words are checked against the opinion the cite resolves to (quote_check, the verify_quote block). PROPOSITION-LEVEL TREATMENT (MCP14_20260925): pass proposition (what you cite the case for; quote is used when proposition is absent) and treatment.proposition names the one proposition citing courts cite it for that matches, with its OWN flag, and treatment.proposition_note says when that point is flagged although the case is green (or unflagged although the case is red); "no proposition-level signal for this use" means only the case-level flag applies. PUBLIC-DOMAIN CITES AND ¶ PINPOINTS (MCP17_20260925): vendor-neutral cites are read as the courts print them ("2023 IL App (1st) 220520", "2023-Ohio-1234", "2022-NMCA-063", "2021 IL App (1st) 200563-U", "2019 S.D. 9"); a paragraph pinpoint ("¶ 45", "¶¶ 12-14", "at ¶ 7") on a resolved cite is checked against the opinion's own paragraph numbers: paragraph_pin.verdict interior_pin = that paragraph exists (paragraph_text shows it), interior_mismatch = past the last numbered paragraph, a number the opinion skips, or (with quote) the quotation sits in another paragraph (found_at, suggested); null = the text carries no paragraph numbers, not checked. The top-level verdict stays found. A verified statute, regulation or rule also returns currency + temporal_note (the edition held, current-through, last amendment where recorded); with as_of, temporal_warning comes first when the section changed after that date. OPERATIVE DATE: statute text is the edition this corpus holds, not the law on every date. For a crime, a contract, a limitations period or a procedural step, establish the operative date first (offense, contract, accrual or filing date) and pass it as as_of (YYYY-MM-DD); say so when the text postdates the facts, since an older offense may be charged under a predecessor section. A statute whose status is sunset, future, expired or repealed leads with status_warning (sunset_date, successor). So does a U.S. Code section omitted from the Code (status omitted). A citing opinion that says the cited case does not exist (a sanctions or show-cause order about fabricated citations, Mata v. Avianca) is never counted as evidence: such citers are listed in fabricated_citers, and when they are the only ones the verdict is strong with verdict_evidence cited_as_fabricated (likely fabricated). Clusters that look like one decision filed twice but share no docket number are listed as twin_candidates (not folded). A CFR section removed from the eCFR is status removed (status_warning REMOVED, currency.sunset_date = the removal's effective date). A case match with a non-green flag carries treatment.flag_reason and flag_basis. A FORMER U.S. Code appendix cite ("50 U.S.C. App. § 462", "46 U.S.C. App. § 688") comes back with status former_appendix (verified stays false): the appendix no longer exists, the cite is not fabricated, and former_appendix names the current section(s) from the Law Revision Counsel's disposition tables. A 5 U.S.C. App. 2 / 3 / 4 section (FACA, Inspector General Act, Ethics Act; moved into Title 5 in 2022) also carries former_appendix with its current section. With proposition= and a pinpoint in the citation, cited_for says what courts cite that page for and, when another page of the case fits the proposition clearly better, suggested_pin_cite (a suggestion to read, not a verdict). With quote= and a pinpoint page, pinpoint_check compares the pin with the page the quotation is on in the cited reporter: quote_on_other_page gives quote_page and a cite_as with that page. With proposition= (or an explanatory parenthetical), cited_for_check says when courts cite the case for the opposite, for a different amendment / statute / standard, or for nothing like it. SHORT FORMS (MCP101): for id., ibid., supra or "303 U.S. at 288", pass sentence (the draft sentence that contains the cite) and quotation (words quoted with it): id. is bound to the citation before it in that sentence, never to a case named earlier in the conversation; a name written right before a bare short form is checked like expected_case_name; court and year break a tie among candidates. A reporter cite that resolves is never overridden; the hints block says what was used.