Terms of court are abolished. The court will be in continuous session.
Rule 6-I.Continuous Session of Court
Group II: Commencing an Action; Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 6-I abolishes fixed terms of court and puts the Superior Court in continuous session, so case deadlines and court business run year-round rather than around a term calendar.
Full Text of Rule 6-I
Comment
Stylistic changes were made to this rule to conform with the 2007 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Plain-English Summary
Courts once operated on fixed "terms" — set stretches of the year during which a court sat, with breaks in between that could affect when judgments became final or when certain deadlines ran. Rule 6-I sweeps that structure away for the Superior Court: terms of court are abolished, and the court is in continuous session instead.
The practical effect is that nothing in the civil rules ties a deadline, a filing, or the finality of an order to a court term that has opened or closed. The court's calendar for assigning and hearing cases is a separate, administrative matter, but as a rule of procedure, Rule 6-I removes the old term-based framework entirely, so the counting methods in Rule 6 and the rest of the rules apply without regard to term boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was a "term of court" and why does it matter that Rule 6-I abolished it?
Historically, courts sat for defined terms during the year, and some procedural consequences — like when a judgment became final — were tied to when a term ended. Rule 6-I eliminates that structure for the Superior Court so that no deadline or procedural consequence depends on term boundaries.
Does the court close between terms the way it once did?
No. Rule 6-I states that the court is in continuous session, meaning there is no term-based recess built into the rule.
Does Rule 6-I change how I calculate my filing deadlines?
Not directly — deadline computation is governed by Rule 6. Rule 6-I's role is to remove any term-of-court concept that might otherwise interact with deadline or finality calculations.
Can I still file documents with the court at any time of year?
Rule 6-I's continuous-session structure supports year-round court business, though the clerk's office hours and the specific deadlines applicable to your filing are set by other rules, including Rule 6.
Is Rule 6-I unique to the District of Columbia's Superior Court rules?
It reflects a purely local rule addressing the structure of the Superior Court's sessions, positioned directly after Rule 6 because it relates to how the court's calendar operates rather than to computing specific deadlines.
Source & verification. Rule text and official Comments are
reproduced verbatim from the District of Columbia Superior Court Rules of Civil
Procedure, adopted by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: dc superior court terms of court abolishedcontinuous session dc court rule 6-idoes dc superior court have termsdc court open year round rule