In a moment now echoing through legal circles and social media alike, a Colorado Assistant Attorney General, addressing the Court of Appeals accidentally called Judge Elizabeth Harris… “honey.”
Yes, really.
The courtroom froze. The internet didn’t.
In the Colorado Court of Appeals hearing for People v. Delgado, Assistant Attorney General William Kozeliski was arguing whether consecutive prison terms were appropriate in a 1994 sexual assault case. During the oral argument, he accidentally addressed Judge Elizabeth L. Harris as “honey” instead of “Your Honor” .
Realizing the slip mid-sentence, he stuttered, “But honey—oh, my God, I’m sorry… I don’t know what to say to that. I apologize,” visibly rattled
Judge Harris asked him to continue, and when he admitted he’d been “totally thrown,” she responded candidly: “I can imagine. I’m a little thrown by that also, if I’m being honest”
All this was captured on a livestream, and soon the clip exploded across X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Bluesky and other social feeds
Online audiences couldn’t get enough. Comments ranged from sharp to sympathetic:
