End a letter to a judge with “Respectfully” or “Respectfully submitted,” followed by a comma, three or four blank lines for your handwritten signature, your typed full name, and your contact information. If you’re a party to a pending case, add a certificate of service at the very bottom showing you sent a copy to the other side. The closing phrase itself matters less than most people assume; what separates a well-executed letter from one that creates problems is the signature block, the service copy, and whether you’ve followed the court’s rules about who else receives the letter.
Which Closing Phrase to Use
“Respectfully” and “Respectfully submitted” are the safest choices for any letter to a judge.1U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Template: Joint Motion to Administratively Close Proceedings Attorneys use these in formal filings, and they carry the right tone regardless of context. A rough rule of thumb: “Respectfully” fits letters, “Respectfully submitted” fits motions and formal filings.
“Sincerely” is also acceptable, particularly for character reference letters written on someone’s behalf before sentencing. It’s a standard professional closing and nothing about it is improper in this setting. If you want a single phrase that is never wrong, use “Respectfully.”
Skip the casual sign-offs. “Best regards,” “Warm wishes,” “Thanks,” and anything you’d put at the bottom of a personal email signal unfamiliarity with court conventions and can undermine whatever the letter is trying to accomplish.
What Goes in the Signature Block
The signature block sits directly beneath the closing phrase and tells the judge who you are and how to reach you. In order, top to bottom:
- The closing phrase, followed by a comma.
- Your handwritten signature, in blue or black ink, in the space between the closing phrase and your typed name.
- Your full legal name, typed, exactly as it appears in court records if you’re a party.
- Your party designation, if applicable. Self-represented litigants should place “Pro Se” after their typed name; a federal court pro se guide instructs self-represented litigants to place “PRO SE” after their name on all documents filed with the court. Skip this if you’re writing a character reference for someone else.2United States District Court Eastern District of California. Pro Se Package: A Simple Guide to Filing a Civil Action
- Your full mailing address.
- A phone number where you can be reached during business hours.
- Your email address, especially if the court uses electronic filing.
One frequent mistake is dropping the date into the closing section. The date belongs at the top of the letter, above the judge’s address and the salutation, not near your signature.
How to Format the Closing Section
Match the visual layout of the rest of the letter. Block format is standard: everything left-aligned, no indentation. After the last paragraph of the body, leave one blank line, then type the closing phrase. Leave three to four blank lines beneath it for your signature, then type your name and contact details on consecutive lines with no extra spacing between them.
If you’re enclosing documents, note them at the very bottom, below your contact information. Type “Enclosures:” or “Enc:” followed by a short description of what’s attached. This appears after the signature block, not before it.
Copy the Other Side: The Ex Parte Rule
This is where letters to judges most often go wrong. In nearly every situation involving a pending case, you cannot send a letter to a judge without giving a copy to the opposing party or their attorney. One-sided communication with a judge about a pending matter is called an ex parte contact, and courts take it seriously.
The prohibition runs both ways. Attorneys are barred from communicating ex parte with a judge during a proceeding unless authorized by law or court order.3American Bar Association. Model Rules of Professional Conduct – Rule 3.5 Impartiality and Decorum of the Tribunal Judges are prohibited from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications about pending or impending matters, with narrow exceptions for scheduling or emergencies where no party gains an advantage.4American Bar Association. Model Code of Judicial Conduct – Rule 2.9 Ex Parte Communications
In practice, if you send a letter to a judge about a case and don’t copy the other side, the judge may refuse to read it, forward it to the opposing party, or strike it from the record. Sanctions are possible in some situations. The safe default is to send a copy to every other party or their attorney every time you send anything to the court.
Character reference letters for sentencing are the main exception. Defense attorneys typically coordinate these and submit them as a group. If an attorney asked you to write one, confirm with that attorney whether to mail it directly to the judge or hand it over for filing. The prosecution generally receives copies through the sentencing process.
Certificate of Service
When you send a copy to the opposing party, you need to prove you did it. That proof is a certificate of service, and it goes at the very end of the letter, after the signature block and any enclosure notations.
Federal rules require a certificate of service whenever a paper is served by any method other than the court’s electronic filing system. The certificate should state the date you sent the copy and how you sent it, such as by mail or hand delivery.5Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell Law School. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5 – Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers
A simple version reads: “I certify that on [date], I served a copy of this letter on [name of opposing party or attorney] by [U.S. mail / hand delivery / email] at [address or email].” Sign and date it beneath that statement. If the opposing side is represented, service goes to the attorney rather than the party directly.
Character reference letters written at an attorney’s request typically don’t need a separate certificate, since the attorney handles distribution. If you’re a party sending anything to the judge on your own, include one every time.
Redact Personal Information Before Sending
If your letter contains sensitive identifiers, federal rules limit what you can include in any court filing, on paper or electronically:
- Social Security or taxpayer ID numbers: only the last four digits.
- Birth dates: only the year.
- Minor children’s names: only their initials.
- Financial account numbers: only the last four digits.
The responsibility to redact falls on the person making the filing, not the court. Other identifiers like driver’s license numbers and alien registration numbers aren’t covered by the default rule, but you can ask the court for a protective order if your letter contains them.6Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell Law School. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court When in doubt, redact more rather than less; once information enters a court file, it can be difficult to remove.
Check Whether the Judge Accepts Letters at All
Before you send anything, find out whether the assigned judge accepts letters from parties. Many judges have standing orders that modify standard procedures, and some prohibit direct correspondence entirely, requiring everything to go through formal motions. Standing orders vary by judge; contact the clerk’s office for a copy of any orders that modify the court’s general procedures. Some courts require e-filing, some accept mailed or hand-delivered filings, and some allow drop-box submissions. Filing the wrong way can mean the letter never reaches the judge.
Before You Send
- Proofread carefully. Read the letter out loud to catch awkward phrasing.
- Check redactions. Make sure no full Social Security numbers, full birth dates, or account numbers appear anywhere in the document.
- Sign in ink. Print the final version and sign by hand above your typed name.
- Keep at least one signed copy for your records.
- If you’re a party, prepare a copy for every other party or attorney and complete the certificate of service with the correct date and delivery method.
- Attach any documents referenced in the letter and confirm the enclosure notation matches what’s actually included.
If you’re submitting a character reference letter at an attorney’s request, confirm the deadline with that attorney. Sentencing dates are often set weeks in advance, and letters that arrive late may not be considered.