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Judges' Information

Judges will not consider ex parte communication

Ex parte is a Latin phrase meaning "on one side only; by or for one party."  An ex parte communication occurs when a party to a case, or someone involved with a party, talks or writes to or otherwise communicates directly with the judge about the issues in the case without the other parties' knowledge.  For example, a letter addressed to the judge is considered an ex parte communication because no other party has access to it. By contrast, formal court filings are not considered ex parte communications because all parties in the case have access to and the ability to contest them.