To address a court in a letter, put the assigned judge’s formal title and full name in the address block (“The Honorable Jane Doe”), identify the case with a reference line showing the caption and docket number, and open with “Dear Judge [Last Name]:” followed by a colon. The letter itself is filed with the Clerk of Court, not sent to the judge’s chambers, and a copy goes to every other party in the case.
Make Sure a Letter Is the Right Vehicle
Before you draft anything, confirm a letter can accomplish what you need. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, any request for a court order has to be made by formal motion, filed in writing, stating the specific grounds and the relief you want.1Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 7 – Pleadings Allowed; Form of Motions and Other Papers If you want the judge to dismiss a claim, compel discovery, or extend a deadline with an enforceable order, a letter will not get it done.
Letters work for narrower purposes: notifying the court of a change of address, requesting a scheduling accommodation, providing a character reference in a criminal sentencing proceeding when the judge has authorized it, or responding to a court’s invitation for a status update. Some courts accept “letter-motions” for specific issues like discovery disputes, but those follow local rules that vary by court. When in doubt, check the local rules or call the clerk’s office before sending anything.
Information to Gather Before You Write
Missing any of these details can leave your letter sitting unprocessed in a clerk’s inbox.
- Court name and address. Use the full official name and mailing address, both available on the court’s website or on any notice you have received.
- Judge’s name and title. Identify the judge assigned to your case by full name. In the address block, use the formal title “The Honorable [First Name] [Last Name].”
- Case name and docket number. Every case has a caption (like Smith v. Jones) and a docket number, the unique identifier the court uses to track filings. Both appear on any document the court has sent you.
If a magistrate judge has been assigned rather than a district judge, the address block still reads “The Honorable [First Name] [Last Name].” In the salutation, either “Dear Magistrate Judge [Last Name]:” or “Dear Judge [Last Name]:” is acceptable. Do not shorten the title to just “Magistrate,” which is considered improper.
Address Block, Reference Line, and Salutation
Court correspondence follows standard business letter format. In the top left, place your full legal name, mailing address, phone number, and email. Directly below, add the date. Below the date, include the judge’s formal title, full name, and the court’s mailing address.
Next comes a reference line that identifies your case. Format it as “RE:” followed by the case caption and docket number. For example: “RE: Smith v. Jones, Case No. 2024-CV-00123.” Court clerks process hundreds of filings, and this line is how they match your letter to the correct file. Leaving it off is one of the fastest ways to have your correspondence lost or delayed.
Salutation
The standard written salutation is “Dear Judge [Last Name]:” followed by a colon, not a comma. For a chief judge, write “Dear Chief Judge [Last Name]:”. For a state supreme court justice, use “Dear Justice [Last Name]:”. Some guides list “Your Honor:” as a more formal alternative, but “Dear Judge [Last Name]:” is the most widely used form in legal correspondence and the one most courts expect.
Closing and Signature
Close with “Respectfully,” or “Sincerely,” and leave several blank lines for your handwritten signature. Type your full legal name beneath the signature line. If you have a pending case, put your role (plaintiff, defendant, petitioner) underneath your name so the court can quickly identify your position.
Writing the Body
State your purpose in the first sentence. A judge or clerk who has to read three paragraphs before understanding why you are writing is already predisposed to skim the rest. Be direct: “I am writing to notify the Court of my change of address” or “I am writing to respectfully request a continuance of the hearing scheduled for March 15.”
Keep everything factual and specific. If you are referencing a hearing date, a prior order, or a filing, include the exact date or docket entry number. Avoid emotional appeals, personal attacks on the opposing party, or long narratives about how unfair the situation feels. A calm, organized letter gets further than an impassioned one.
What Not to Include
A few mistakes can get your letter tossed or create problems for your case.
- New evidence. Letters are not the place to introduce documents, testimony, or facts that are not already in the case record. New evidence must come in through a formal motion with proper notice to the other side.1Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 7 – Pleadings Allowed; Form of Motions and Other Papers
- Requests for legal advice. Judges are prohibited from advising either side on how to handle a case. Asking a judge what you should do puts them in an impossible position and will not get an answer.
- One-sided communication. Contacting the judge without the other party’s knowledge is an ex parte communication, and judges are barred from considering it. A judge who receives an unauthorized one-sided communication must notify all other parties and give them a chance to respond. The narrow exceptions are purely administrative matters like scheduling, and even those require the judge to loop in the other side promptly.2United States Courts. Code of Conduct for United States Judges
The ex parte rule is the one that catches most people off guard. Sending a letter to the judge without copying the opposing party or their attorney creates an ex parte communication even when the intent is innocent. That alone can result in sanctions or damage your credibility with the court.
Redact Personal Identifiers
Anything you file with a court, including a letter, may become part of the public record. Under Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, you may include only:3Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court
- The last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer ID number (e.g., xxx-xx-1234)
- The year of a date of birth (e.g., xx/xx/1990)
- The initials of a minor child’s name
- The last four digits of a financial account number
State courts generally follow similar redaction rules, though the specifics vary. A filing that includes unredacted personal information can be rejected by the clerk or, if it slips through, stricken from the record.
Where the Letter Actually Goes
Your letter does not go to the judge’s chambers. All correspondence is filed with the Clerk of Court, whose mailing address is on the court’s website. The clerk logs your letter into the official case file and routes it from there.
Serving the Other Parties
Send a copy of everything you file to every other party in the case, or to their attorney if they have one. Acceptable methods of service include hand delivery, mailing it to the person’s last known address, or sending it electronically if the recipient has consented in writing.4Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 5 – Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers When you serve by mail, service is complete the moment you drop it in the mailbox. Skipping this step does not just violate procedure. It turns your letter into the kind of one-sided communication a judge is required to disregard.
Certificate of Service
At the end of your letter, include a certificate of service: a short statement confirming that you provided a copy to the other parties. It must be filed along with the paper it relates to, or within a reasonable time after service.4Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 5 – Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers State the date of service, the name and address of each person served, and the method of delivery. Sign it. A typical certificate reads:
“I certify that on [date], I served a true copy of this letter on [name] at [address] by [U.S. Mail / hand delivery / electronic transmission].”
If you file through the court’s electronic filing system, no separate certificate of service is required because the system automatically notifies all registered parties.4Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 5 – Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers