Definition
"For that turn." A Latin phrase used in legal proceedings to indicate that something applies only for that particular occasion, instance, or proceeding — not as a general rule and not carrying forward as precedent or continuing obligation. When a court, judge, or party acts pro illa vice, the action is bounded to the specific matter at hand and creates no broader or lasting effect.
The phrase functions as a limiting qualifier. A judge admitted pro hac vice to preside over a single case sits pro illa vice — for that turn only. An order, ruling, or appointment made pro illa vice expires with the occasion that prompted it.
Common Confusion
Pro illa vice and pro hac vice are sometimes confused because they share structure and overlapping meaning. Pro hac vice ("for this occasion") is the modern surviving form and carries specific procedural weight in American courts, particularly governing temporary attorney admission. Pro illa vice is the historical Latin variant emphasizing "that turn" specifically — often used retrospectively or to describe a concluded, discrete occasion. In practice, the distinction rarely matters to modern researchers, but in historical sources the two are not interchangeable, and substituting one for the other risks misreading the scope the drafter intended.
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers encountering pro illa vice in historical legal materials should treat it as a precision signal: the drafter was deliberately confining the scope of whatever follows. In older English common law reports and pleadings, the phrase appeared to prevent a single instance from being cited as precedent or from creating an implied ongoing right.
The phrase is closely related to pro hac vice ("for this occasion"), and the two appear in overlapping contexts. Pro hac vice has survived into modern American legal usage as a term of art — particularly for attorney admission — while pro illa vice has largely retreated from active use. Researchers working in pre-twentieth-century English reports, colonial American court records, or Latin pleadings will encounter it; those working in modern American practice almost certainly will not, unless quoting historical sources.
Watch the Wilson's Reports citation that all three historical dictionaries share (cited as either "8 Wils. 233" or "3 Wils. 233" depending on the edition — a discrepancy noted below). That citation, offered without further context, reflects the thinness of the historical record on this phrase. Its appearance there is argumentative (arg.), meaning the phrase arose in counsel's argument rather than in a holding, which itself signals that pro illa vice was used as a limiting tool in advocacy rather than as a formal term of art with developed doctrine.
Historical Dictionary Support
All three sources — Black's (first edition), Black's (second edition), and Burrill's — define the phrase identically: "For that turn." There is no substantive divergence in meaning across the shelf. The only notable discrepancy is editorial: Black's (both editions) cites "8 Wils. 233, arg." while Burrill's cites "3 Wils. 233, arg." This volume number conflict likely reflects a citation error in one source. Wilson's Reports (the reports of Sir George Wilson, English King's Bench) were a standard citation in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century English practice; researchers tracing this citation should verify volume numbering independently.
None of the historical dictionaries provides substantive analysis, illustrative context, or developed doctrine around the phrase. The entry in each case is a bare translation with a single citation. This is typical for Latin maxims and phrases that functioned as understood shorthand within the legal community rather than as contested or complex terms. What the historical dictionaries do not address — and what researchers should supply from context — is the procedural situation in which the phrase appeared and whether it was used by a court in its ruling or only by counsel in argument.