How to address and format a letter to a judge

How to address a judge

The address line and the greeting depend on who will read the letter, and the lawyer can tell you the judge’s name if you don’t know it.

• A judge in a criminal or family court: “The Honorable Ellen Park” on the address line and “Dear Judge Park,” as the greeting.
• A judge whose name you don’t know yet: “The Honorable Judge” and “Dear Judge,”.
• An immigration judge: “Honorable Immigration Judge”, followed by the judge’s name if you have it.
• A parole board: the board’s name on the address line and “Dear Members of the Parole Board,” as the greeting.

What to avoid in the greeting

Avoid “To whom it may concern”, “Dear Court” or “Dear Sir or Madam”. Defense lawyers list a letter that isn’t addressed to the judge among the common mistakes, because the letter is meant to speak to the person who decides.

You don’t need legal titles beyond “The Honorable” and “Judge”. If you are not sure of the judge’s name or how it is spelled, ask the lawyer rather than guess.

How to lay out the letter

A letter to a judge uses a plain business-letter layout, in this order from the top of the page.

1. The date.
2. The address line, such as “The Honorable Ellen Park”.
3. A “Re:” line with the full name of the person you are writing for, and the case number if the lawyer gives you one.
4. The greeting, such as “Dear Judge Park,”.
5. The body of the letter, usually four to six short paragraphs.
6. A sign-off such as “Sincerely,”.
7. Your signature, by hand.
8. Your printed name, with your phone number, email or mailing address underneath.

Typed or handwritten

A typed letter is preferred, but neat handwriting is accepted, according to federal defender offices in Vermont and Oklahoma. Either way, sign it by hand above your printed name.

If you are writing for work, use your company’s letterhead if you have it. In immigration letters, professional letterhead can take the place of your home address.

Your contact details

Include a phone number or address under your name so the court can reach you. Defender offices note that a court may call a writer to check that they wrote the letter.

Keep other personal details out of the letter, because letters can end up in the public court file. That means no Social Security or account numbers, and children named by their initials only.

Sending the letter

Give the finished letter to the person’s lawyer rather than mailing it to the judge. Defense lawyers warn against sending letters straight to the judge, and some courts don’t allow it.

Parole letters are the exception: they usually go to the parole board itself, so check the board’s address on its website or with the lawyer. Our questions set the address line, greeting and signature block for the hearing you pick, so you only write the body.

Questions