Call me ‘Judge’… ‘Sir or Madam’ will no longer be appropriate
How do you address a judge in court? Top judges are addressed as My Lord or My Lady. Most circuit judges are addressed as Your Honour. Until recently some of the most junior judges in England and Wales were simply called Sir or Madam. That’s all changed. From now on any judge in one of the following categories is to be addressed simply as Judge:
– Upper Tribunal Judges
– Judges of the Employment Appeal Tribunal
– District Judges
– District Judges (Magistrates Courts)
– First-Tier Tribunal Judges
– Employment Judges
Why? According to the lord chief justice and the senior president of tribunals, “The move away from Sir or Madam involves modern and simple terminology, reflecting the important judicial roles whilst maintaining the necessary degree of respect. We also hope this change in language will assist litigants-in-person involved in court and tribunal proceedings.
You should still address lay magistrates as Sir or Madam. If you are not sure which is appropriate, try Your Worship. That also works as a collective: Your Worships. Many magistrates will tell you they have been addressed as Your Holiness by confused defendants or those hoping for a more benign sentence.
And Sir or Madam remains appropriate for lay members of a tribunal. High Court registrars should be addressed as Registrar, which is inconsistent and a bit harder to say.
These changes apply only to how judges are addressed in court or at tribunals. It does not affect judicial titles.
Learn more here.
