How to Address an Associate Justice
Supreme Court of the United States

How to Address an Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court?

The given name of an associate justice is not used unless there are two justices with the same surname, You can use these forms of address for any mode of communication: addressing a letter, invitation, card or Email.

—-Envelope, official, or address block on an email:
——–Justice (Surname)
——–The Supreme Court
——–One First Street, NE
——–Washington, DC 20543

—-Letter salutation:
——–Dear Justice (Surname):

See also Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Justice is a title and honorific for a judge of an appellate court.  The given name of an associate justice is not used unless there are two justices with the same surname.  Judges of lower courts are addressed as The Honorable (full name), but current justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are not.  However a retired associate justice is addressed as the Honorable (full name) and in a salutation or conversation as Justice (surname).  

—-– Robert Hickey, Honor & Respect  How to Address Associate Justice Supreme Court

 

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

How to Address a Retired Associate Justice?

A retired associate justice will be speaking at our annual conference. How do we list the retired associate justice’s name and title in our program?

This is what I plan to write:
—-(Full Name)
—-Associate Justice (Retired), U.S. Supreme Court
—-—-—-—-– Naomi Willis.

Dear Ms. Willis,
In the program use
—-—-The Honorable (Full Name)
—-—-Retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States

—-#1) By tradition, when on the bench they are not addressed as ‘the Honorable’ … but when retired they are.

—-#2) The correct name of the court is the ‘Supreme Court of the United States’ … not the ‘U.S. Supreme Court’.

—-#3) Avoid the parentheses.

—-#4) In conversation you can address her formally as ‘Justice (Surname’ or simply ‘Justice’.

I include all the forms of address in my book – official and social envelopes, letter, salutation, invitation, place cards, introductions – if this sort of thing comes up often.

– Robert Hickey How to Address an Associate Justice Supreme Court

How to Address an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

 

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

When Should You Use the Forms on this Page?

You can use these forms of address for any mode of communication: addressing a letter, invitation, card or Email. (If there are differences between the official and social forms of address, I will have mentioned the different forms.)  The form noted in the salutation is the same form you say when you say their name in conversation or when you greet them.
___What I don’t cover on this site are many things I do cover in my book: all the rules of forms of address, about names, international titles, precedence, complimentary closes, details on invitations, place cards, all sorts of introductions, etc. I hope you’ll get a copy of the book if you’d like the further detail.

Not Finding Your Answer?

—-#1)  At right on desktops, at the bottom of every page on tablets and phones, is a list of all the offices, officials & topics covered on the site.

—-#2)  If you don’t see the official you seek included or your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day or so (unless I am traveling.)  Note: I don’t have mailing or Email addresses for any of the officials and I don’t keep track of offices that exist only in history books.

—-#3)  If I think your question is of interest to others, Sometimes I post the question  – but always change all the specifics.

— Robert Hickey 

 

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”