Legal Definitions - Session

A "session" refers to a designated period during which a governmental body officially meets to conduct its business. This term typically applies to courts and legislative assemblies, indicating a time of active operation, deliberation, and decision-making.

• For a court: When a court is "in session," it means the judges are actively presiding over cases, hearing arguments from lawyers, receiving evidence, or issuing rulings and judgments.

• For a legislature: When a legislative body is "in session," its members are gathered to debate proposed laws, vote on bills, discuss public policy, or perform other official parliamentary duties.

Here are some examples illustrating the term "session":

• Example 1 (State Legislature): The Texas Legislature convenes for its biennial regular session, during which lawmakers will consider thousands of bills, debate the state budget, and vote on new statutes affecting residents across the state.

  Explanation: This example shows "session" as a fixed, recurring period when a legislative body is actively meeting and performing its core function of creating and approving laws and financial plans.

• Example 2 (Federal Court): The U.S. Court of Appeals is currently in session, hearing oral arguments from attorneys representing both sides in a complex intellectual property dispute.

  Explanation: Here, "in session" signifies that the court is actively engaged in judicial proceedings, with judges present and listening to legal arguments as part of their duty to review cases.

• Example 3 (Local Government): The City Council of Springfield called a special evening session to discuss and vote on an emergency ordinance related to a recent public health concern.

  Explanation: This demonstrates that "session" can also apply to local governmental bodies, indicating a formal meeting convened to address official business, even if it's outside of regularly scheduled meetings.