Dear 1L: The words “move,” “request,” and “ask” act differently.

Dear 1L: The words “move,” “request,” and “ask” act differently.

✔️ Defendants ask the Court to reconsider.
❌ Defendants request the Court to rule in their favor.
❌ Defendants move the Court to grant summary judgment.

You may “ask” the court “to” do something.
But you should NEVER “request” or “move” the court “to” do anything.

Instead:
—use “that” after “request”
—use “for” after “move”

✔️ Defendants request THAT the Court rule in their favor.

✔️ Defendants move FOR an order granting summary judgment. (or Defendants move for summary judgment.)

Bottom line: Never use “to” after “request” or “move.”

You may “ask” the court “to” do something, but you may NEVER “request” or “move” the court “to” do anything.

Capisce?

💌 Amanda

#Dear1L
#DearLegalWriter

P.S. I learned when doing my book that “capisce” (and “capiche”) are accepted spellings of the word that sounds like “kapeeesh,” the American slang for the Italian, “capisci,” i.e., “Get it?” “Understand?”

P.P.S. I love words and languages. I never studied Italian, actually, but I did take a tone of Latin, French, and Japanese. What languages did you study?