Uganda Judiciary rejects lawyers’ push to scrap ‘My Lord’ titles and courtroom bowing

Uganda Judiciary rejects lawyers’ push to scrap ‘My Lord’ titles and courtroom bowing
Uganda Judiciary rejects lawyers’ push to scrap ‘My Lord’ titles and courtroom bowing - A sign marking Uganda’s Supreme Court in Kampala. (Photo: Supreme Court of Uganda)
A sign marking Uganda’s Supreme Court in Kampala. (Photo: Supreme Court of Uganda)

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Uganda Law Society bans ‘My Lord’ and courtroom bowing in push to end colonial traditions

Carolyne Kubwa  ·  7 hours ago
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The society also instructed advocates to abandon the practice of bowing before judicial officers.

Uganda's Judiciary has rejected attempts by the Uganda Law Society (ULS) to abolish the use of colonial-era judicial titles and the practice of bowing before judges, insisting the lawyers' body has no authority to determine courtroom protocol.
The development comes after the ULS on July 7 directed its members to stop addressing judges and magistrates using honourifics such as "My Lord", "My Lady", "Your Lordship" and "Your Worship", describing the move as part of efforts to decolonise Uganda's justice system.
The society also instructed advocates to abandon the practice of bowing before judicial officers and instead use forms of address such as "Mr Justice", "Madam Justice", "Mr Judge", "Madam Judge" or "Mr Magistrate", while standing upright when addressing the court "as free citizens."

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According to the ULS, the titles and courtroom practices are colonial-era traditions that place judges above ordinary citizens instead of treating them as public servants.
"The practice of bowing or any other form of physical subservience before judicial officers is henceforth prohibited for all members of the Society,” the ULS decree reads in part.
“No member of the Bar shall enforce or observe rituals that force Ugandans into postures of humiliation as the powerful enjoy comfort and deference."

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Responding to the directive, Judiciary spokesperson James Ereemye stressed how judges should be addressed in court, maintaining that the Judiciary is an independent arm of government responsible for setting its own procedures and standards of courtroom conduct.
"The Uganda Law Society cannot tell judges what to do or say," Ereemye told the BBC, adding that the Judiciary would continue to demand the established decorum from advocates appearing before the courts.
Ereemye also questioned the approach taken by the ULS, saying changes to judicial procedures should be discussed through recognised institutional processes rather than introduced through directives from professional bodies.
"If you have a point, you use the appropriate forum for discussion, and when you make a good case, it forms part of the policy," he said.
The disagreement has reignited debate over the place of colonial-era traditions in Uganda's justice system. Like many former British colonies, Uganda inherited much of its legal framework and courtroom customs from the United Kingdom, including the use of formal judicial titles and ceremonial practices.

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