To address a judge in a letter, write “The Honorable [Full Name]” on the envelope and at the top of the inside address block, list the court on the next line, and open the letter itself with “Dear Judge [Last Name].” That formula covers most judges you will ever write to. The variations that matter — justices of a supreme court, chief judges, and magistrate judges — are narrow but worth getting right, because using the wrong title is the fastest way to signal that you are unfamiliar with the court.
The Envelope and Inside Address
Every letter to a judge, regardless of the court, begins the same way on the envelope and in the inside address: “The Honorable” followed by the judge’s full name on its own line, then the name of the court on the line below, then the court’s mailing address. For example:
The Honorable Jane Doe
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
[Court Address]
“The Honorable” is the courtesy title used for all sitting judges. It is never abbreviated to “Hon.” in a formal letter, and it is never replaced with “Judge” or “Justice” in the address block. Save those titles for the salutation.
Two small additions apply when the judge holds a specific role. For a chief judge, add “Chief Judge” on a separate line between the name and the court. For a magistrate judge, add “Magistrate Judge” in the same position. The “Honorable” line stays on top in both cases.
The Salutation by Type of Judge
The default salutation is “Dear Judge [Last Name],” and it is correct for the large majority of judges. A handful of positions call for something different.
- Federal and state trial court judges: “Dear Judge [Last Name].” This covers U.S. District Court judges, state circuit and superior court judges, and most other trial-level judges.
- U.S. Supreme Court justices and state supreme court justices: “Dear Justice [Last Name].” Never “Dear Judge.” Justices on the highest courts go by “Justice,” and the distinction matters.
- Chief judges and chief justices: “Dear Chief Judge [Last Name]” or “Dear Chief Justice [Last Name].” Include the “Chief” designation.
- Federal magistrate judges: “Dear Judge [Last Name]” is acceptable, though some practitioners use “Dear Magistrate Judge [Last Name].”
- Bankruptcy judges: “Dear Judge [Last Name].”
If you are unsure which court a judge sits on, the court’s website or the clerk’s office can confirm both the exact title and the correct spelling of the name. Both are worth double-checking. A misspelled name at the top of a letter undoes a great deal of careful writing below it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few small errors show up often enough to flag.
Calling a justice “Judge.” On the U.S. Supreme Court and on state supreme courts, the members are Justices. Addressing a letter to “Judge Roberts” instead of “Chief Justice Roberts” is a basic error that will be noticed.
Dropping “Chief.” When a judge holds the chief role, the title is part of how the court refers to them officially, and leaving it off reads as careless. Include it in both the address block and the salutation.
Using a first name. The salutation is always “Dear Judge [Last Name]” or “Dear Justice [Last Name],” never a first name, and never just “Dear Judge” without the surname.
Mixing up the address block and the salutation. “The Honorable” belongs at the top, above the court name. “Judge” or “Justice” belongs in the greeting line. The two titles do not switch places, and neither one appears in both spots.
A Sample Address and Salutation Block
Putting it together, the top of a letter to a federal district judge looks like this:
The Honorable Jane Doe
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
[Court Street Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Dear Judge Doe,
For a chief judge of the same court, add the role:
The Honorable Jane Doe
Chief Judge
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
[Court Street Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Dear Chief Judge Doe,
For a justice on a state supreme court:
The Honorable Jane Doe
Supreme Court of [State]
[Court Street Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Dear Justice Doe,
Closing and Signature
Close the letter with “Respectfully submitted,” or “Respectfully,” followed by your handwritten signature and your typed name below it. Include your address and phone number so the court can reach you. This closing is the standard for correspondence directed to a judge and pairs naturally with the formal address block at the top.
Two Things to Know Before You Send
Addressing the letter correctly is only part of getting it in front of the judge. Two boundaries are worth mentioning, because they trip people up who assume a well-addressed letter will simply be read.
First, if your letter concerns a pending or upcoming case, you generally cannot send it privately to the judge. A one-sided communication with a judge about a case is called an “ex parte” communication, and judges are prohibited from considering them. Under the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, a judge “should not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications” about pending or upcoming matters made outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers.1United States Courts. Code of Conduct for United States Judges The ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct contains the same prohibition, and most state courts have adopted some version of it.2American Bar Association. Rule 2.9 Ex Parte Communications In practice, that means any letter about a case must also be sent to the opposing party or their attorney, with a certificate of service showing you did so.
Second, unless a judge has specifically told you otherwise, send your letter to the clerk of court for filing rather than mailing it directly to chambers. In most courts, all documents go through the clerk’s office first. The clerk stamps the filing date, enters the document into the case record, and routes it to the judge. Mailing a letter straight to chambers risks the judge never seeing it, since many judges will not accept documents that bypass the clerk. Once filed, the letter generally becomes part of the public case record and is accessible through systems like PACER in federal court.
Character reference letters for sentencing are handled differently: those go to the defendant’s attorney, who reviews and submits them to the court as part of the sentencing materials rather than being sent to the judge directly.3Maryland Federal Public Defender. Writing a Character Letter Even there, the salutation follows the same rule: “Dear Judge [Last Name],” using the name of the judge assigned to the case.
If you are represented by a lawyer, your letter should almost always go through your lawyer rather than from you directly. Courts expect to hear from counsel of record, and a letter sent independently can create confusion and, if the case is pending, expose you or your attorney to an ex parte problem. Ask your lawyer first.