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Simple English definitions for legal terms
recess
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A quick definition of recess:
Term: Recess
Definition: Recess is a break during a trial or a meeting where everyone stops what they are doing and takes a break until a certain time. It's like taking a break during school or playing outside during recess time. It's not the same as ending the trial or meeting, which is called adjournment. Even the government takes recesses between their meetings! During these breaks, important decisions can be made, like filling in empty jobs until the next meeting.
A more thorough explanation:
Recess is a break in a trial, legislative session, or other legal proceedings until a specific date and time. It is different from adjournment, which ends the proceedings.
During the trial of Gonzalez v. Douglas, the court announced, "we will stand at recess until 1:30," and the recess lasted from 11:57 a.m. to 1:32 p.m. This means that the trial was temporarily paused and would resume at a specific time.
In the legislative context, the U.S. Constitution allows for recesses between sessions. For instance, if a vacancy occurs in the Senate during the legislature's recess, the executive can make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the legislature, which will then fill the vacancies.
Another example is when the President has the power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the Senate's recess by granting commissions that will expire at the end of their next session.
These examples illustrate that recess is a temporary break in legal proceedings or legislative sessions that allows for a pause in the action and a specific time for resuming the proceedings.