Judicial recess

The judicial recess is the period each summer, between the dates fixed by statute, during which the courts pause their ordinary work. Hearings are as a rule not held, and new hearing dates are scheduled for after the recess.

The statute lists urgent matters that continue during the recess, chiefly applications for preliminary injunctions and provisional attachment, preservation of evidence, maintenance claims and custody matters, all handled by duty courts.

Its effect on time limits is the most critical practical point: in civil proceedings, periods whose last day falls within the recess are deemed extended by the statutory additional period from its end. The extension does not, however, apply to every time limit or every branch of the judiciary, so deadlines falling within the recess should be calculated only after verifying the extension's scope.