In a courtroom, “if it pleases the court” is a formal way of asking the judge’s permission before speaking or taking action. It and its more common cousin, “may it please the court,” have been standard legal etiquette since at least the early 1600s and remain the traditional opening line for oral arguments at every level of the American court system, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
What the Phrase Means
Grammatically, the phrase works as a conditional. The speaker is essentially saying, “I will proceed only if the court is willing to hear me.” The “it” refers to whatever the attorney is about to say or do, and “the court” means the judge. Strip away the formality and you get something close to “with your permission, Your Honor.”
“If it pleases the court” and “may it please the court” are understood identically by judges. One is phrased as an explicit conditional, the other as an invocation, but both ask for the same thing: permission to proceed.
The expression is entirely archaic outside of legal settings. Nobody uses “may it please” in everyday conversation. Inside a courtroom, though, it does practical work beyond politeness. It marks the moment when an attorney formally begins addressing the judge, so everyone in the room understands that what follows is a substantive argument or request rather than casual remarks.
Where It Comes From
The phrase traces back to English courts. Ben Jonson, Shakespeare’s contemporary, used it in his 1601 comedy The Poetaster and again in a court scene in his 1606 play Volpone. That alone suggests the phrase was already standard among lawyers and advocates in early 17th-century England. When English common law traditions crossed the Atlantic, the phrase came with them and became fixed in American courtroom practice, where it has sat largely unchanged for over four centuries.
When Attorneys Actually Say It
The most visible use is as the opening line of an oral argument. At the U.S. Supreme Court, the Guide for Counsel instructs attorneys to begin with “Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the Court” after being recognized by name from the lectern.1Supreme Court of the United States. Guide for Counsel in Cases to Be Argued Adapted as “Your Honor, may it please the court” in trial courts and “May it please the court” in state appellate courts, that same formula opens oral arguments across the country.
Beyond opening arguments, lawyers reach for the phrase, or close variants of it, in a handful of recurring situations:
- Approaching the bench. Before walking toward the judge for a sidebar outside the jury’s hearing, an attorney asks permission, often with “Your Honor, may I approach?” or “If it pleases the court, may I approach the bench?”
- Introducing evidence. Before presenting a physical exhibit or document, an attorney may preface the request with a deferential opening to get the judge’s attention and consent.
- Starting a new line of questioning. When beginning cross-examination or shifting to a new subject with a witness, some attorneys use the phrase to signal the transition and confirm the judge is ready.
- Making a motion. Before requesting a specific ruling, whether to dismiss a charge, exclude evidence, or grant a continuance, attorneys often open with words acknowledging the court’s authority.
Not every attorney says “may it please the court” before each of these moves. In busy trial courts, a simple “Your Honor” or “May I proceed?” often does the job. The full formulation shows up more in appellate arguments and formal settings where the tradition runs deeper. A Michigan Bar survey of judges noted that there is nothing wrong with the phrase, “except it’s just a polite nicety if the advocate does not know how to ‘please the court'” — substance matters more than ceremony.2Michigan Bar Journal. Do You Please the Court? Judges Give Pointers on Orally Arguing Pretrial Motions
Do You Have to Use It If You’re Representing Yourself?
No. If you’re representing yourself, known legally as proceeding “pro se,” you are not expected to use formal phrases like “may it please the court.” Federal court handbooks for self-represented litigants are explicit: you do not need to sound like a lawyer. Use your own words and be as clear as possible.
Basic courtroom etiquette still applies, though. Address the judge as “Your Honor.” Stand when the judge speaks to you or when you speak to the judge. Dress conservatively and arrive on time. When introducing yourself at a hearing, a simple “Good morning, Your Honor, my name is [name] and I am the [plaintiff/defendant] in this case” is the expected format.
Judges understand that self-represented litigants don’t know procedural formalities, and many will actively help by explaining the process in plain language, asking clarifying questions, and setting ground rules at the start of a hearing. A judge might say something like “you are not to interrupt each other” and “address all of your remarks to me.” Following those instructions matters far more than knowing the traditional phrases.
The Physical Etiquette That Goes With It
Saying “may it please the court” is one piece of a larger set of physical expectations. In most courtrooms, attorneys stand whenever addressing the judge; you don’t speak from your chair. If a judge asks you a question while you’re seated at counsel table, the standard practice is to stand before responding. Witnesses are questioned from the lectern unless the judge directs otherwise, and approaching a witness with an exhibit requires separate permission.
Everyone in the courtroom, including spectators, is expected to stand when the judge enters and leaves. These physical customs work in concert with the verbal formalities. Standing, facing the judge, and opening with “may it please the court” all reinforce that the proceeding is serious and that the judge controls the room.
Why the Phrase Has Lasted
Four centuries is a long run for any figure of speech, and “may it please the court” has outlasted most of the legal system that produced it. It survives because it does something no modern substitute quite replaces: it compresses an acknowledgment of the court’s authority, a request for permission, and a signal that substantive argument is about to begin into a single phrase that every judge and lawyer instantly recognizes. “Your Honor, I’d like to begin” works fine in casual settings, but it doesn’t carry the same institutional weight. The phrase endures because courtroom proceedings need clear, ritualized transitions between procedural steps, and this one works.