# Addressing the court **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2000, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811 "2000-02-12T13:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811/21 "2000-02-15T13:16:00Z")
Bildo, “Your worship” used to be used for magistrates and Justices of the Peace. We don’t have magistrates’ courts anymore in Canada. The Provincial Court judges are referred to as “Your Honour.” Most Superior court judges are referred to as “My Lord/My Lady,” or “His Lordship/His Ladyship.” One exception is Ontario, where the superior trial court judges are also referred to as “Your Honour.” Lord Denning, I’ve used both terms to address a judge, as in “Your Lordship will recall…” or “Your Ladyship made the order…” * * * and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel to toe ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811/22 "2000-02-15T13:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, you should never call the judge “you” (as in “we don’t agree with the ruling, Your Honor, but we will comply with what _you_ have decided”). The judge should be referred to as “Your Honor” (“what _Your Honor_ has decided”). Not meaning to hijack Zette, but Billdo raises an interesting point here. Many of my friends don’t speak English as their first language and bemoan the lack of a formal and informal combination of the word ‘you’ eg tu/vous. I, however, pointed out that, although it’s true that we have no separate words, I would _always_ avoid using the direct ‘you’ (in an accusatory sense) to someone who I considered to be in authority or in some way senior to me. Is this true for all English speakers, or just the careful? And of course, in answer to the OP, just get Cecil to email to Judge, that should do it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811/23 "2000-02-15T14:34:00Z")
forgot to mention in my earlier post: “Your Worship” is also the formal term to address the mayor of a major city in Canada. (also an inheritance from Britain.) * * * and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel to toe ---
**Author:** ![Frankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Frankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811/24 "2000-02-15T21:13:00Z")
Zette- Can’t just leave us hanging?? How did the surgery go? Jury Duty? Oh and never call a judge “Dumb-ass”… 🙂 * * * -Frankie “Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?” -Bad Religion ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811/25 "2000-02-15T23:43:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by jti: > Most Superior court judges are referred to as “My Lord/My Lady,” or “His Lordship/ **His Ladyship**.” One exception is Ontario, where the superior trial court judges are also referred to as "Your Honour. I’m curious how judges have reacted when you’ve call them His Ladyship. There are some parts of New York City where this is, in fact, an accurate form of address, but they are quite a few blocks uptown of the courts. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-the-court/13811.md?page=1)