Adjournments from day to day, or from time to time, are to be construed as recesses in the sessions, and shall not prevent the court from sitting at any time.
§ 74.Adjournments
Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 4. Superior Courts · Enacted 1880 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 74 provides that a superior court’s day-to-day or periodic adjournments are recesses within its session, not closures, so the court can sit whenever it needs to.
Full Text of § 74
Plain-English Summary
§ 74 does for superior courts what § 42 does for the Supreme Court and courts of appeal: it treats an adjournment as a pause within a continuing session rather than the end of one.
Because adjournments from day to day, or from time to time, count as recesses, a superior court stays open for business at any time and does not lose its authority over a case by adjourning for the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a superior court lose authority over a case when it adjourns for the day?
No — § 74 treats routine adjournments as recesses within one ongoing session, so the court can sit again whenever it needs to.
Is this the same rule that applies to the Supreme Court and courts of appeal?
No, that is § 42; § 74 states the identical rule for superior courts.
Amendment History
Added Code Amdts 1880 ch 35 § 1.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: superior court adjournment recesscourt adjourned for the day California