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The test itself lies in attempting to apply this new update to a card belonging to Judas, whom is a legitimate user of the system.

Is Judas considered the subject or the object? I'm considering Judas to be the object and hence applying whom after the comma. Is this correct?

I read about whom vs who at LINK, but I'm not sure if I'm applying it correctly to this case. I've also tried the whom+him test by asking Whom does the card belong to? with the answer It belongs to him.

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    This is a mistake. It should be 'who'. – Peter Shor Aug 23 '13 at 17:25
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    You may be interested in this. – Brian Hooper Aug 23 '13 at 17:26
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    Whom can never be the subject, and therefore it is of course incorrect ever to write “whom is”, unless you are writing “Whom is never allowed to stand as the subject of a verb.” :) Well, or “Whom is your mother planning on inviting?” – tchrist♦ Aug 23 '13 at 17:28
  • Good thing I asked, had it all wrong. @BrianHooper That link is great! – Daniel Aug 23 '13 at 18:34
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The name Judas is indeed the object of the phrase in which it appears. However, this has no bearing on the selection of pronoun in a subsequent phrase, where the name can be used in a different function.

If you apply the "whom/him" test to the phrase where you're actually trying to use who/whom, you'll get

Who is a legitimate user of the system? He is a legitimate user of the system.

as opposed to the clearly incorrect version:

Whom is a legitimate user of the system? Him is a legitimate user of the system.

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  • Correct - the function of Judas in the participle is the subject of that clause – Affable Geek Aug 23 '13 at 17:41
  • The he/him test is so easy and obvious that I wonder why it is not pointed out more often. – Carsten S Aug 23 '13 at 18:21
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    Basically, because native Anglophones are not taught about their language in school. They are taught composition and literature in English classes, but not grammar. What is called "grammar" in Anglophone schools is mostly misinformation, handed down by the teachers' teachers, unto the Nth generation. This is true of math, too; but many people study math beyond the third-grade level. Very few people study grammar. – John Lawler Aug 23 '13 at 18:28
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The Oatmeal guy explains that using cartoons: How and why to use whom in a sentence.

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