Your Honor

Your Honor is the traditional way to address a judge. It is used as a sign of respect. The honorific typically appears in court proceedings. The term is sometimes controversial, as some see it as a title of “nobility” that places them above the general public.  

See the use of the Your Honor by Mr. Matthews and Ms. Hupp in Uttecht v. Brown, 551 U.S. 1 (2007).

[Last reviewed in August of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]

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