Legal Definitions - adjourned

Adjourned refers to the act of suspending a meeting, hearing, or session to a future time or indefinitely. When a proceeding is adjourned, it means that it is temporarily paused and will resume at a later date, time, or upon further notice, rather than being permanently concluded.

• Example 1: Court Hearing

  During a complex civil trial, a judge might declare, "This court is now adjourned until 9:00 AM next Tuesday." This means the proceedings for that day have concluded, and all parties—the lawyers, the jury, and the witnesses—are expected to return and continue the trial at the specified future date and time. The case is not over; it is simply paused.

• Example 2: Legislative Session

  After a long day of debate and voting, the Speaker of a national parliament might announce, "The session stands adjourned until tomorrow morning." This signifies that the legislative body has concluded its work for the day and will reconvene to continue its business, such as discussing bills or holding further votes, at the start of the next scheduled day. The legislative term itself is not over, just the daily meeting.

• Example 3: Corporate Board Meeting

  A company's board of directors might be discussing a critical merger agreement when they realize they need more financial data. The chairperson could then state, "We will adjourn this meeting until our finance committee can provide the updated projections next month." In this scenario, the board meeting is paused, allowing time for necessary information to be gathered, and will resume at a later date to complete the discussion and make a decision.