“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…”
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.
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.)
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.
