(1) The period of time provided for the doing of any act or the taking of any proceeding is not affected or limited by the continued existence or expiration of a term of court. The continued existence or expiration of a term of court in no way affects the power of a court to do any act or take any proceeding in any civil action which has been pending before it.
Rule 6.03.Unaffected by expiration of term.
Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRule 6.03 makes clear that deadlines and a court's power to act do not depend on the existence or expiration of a term of court, and lets a trial judge issue most orders, rulings, and judgments in vacation, with the single exception of conducting a jury trial.
Full Text of Rule 6.03
(2) The judge of each trial court may make or direct in vacation any order, rule, judgment or decree in any civil action, except the conducting of a trial when a jury is required under these rules.
Amendment History
(Amended effective July 1, 1976.)
Plain-English Summary
Courts once operated in fixed terms, and a proceeding could get tangled up in questions about which term it belonged to. Rule 6.03 cuts that link. Any deadline for doing an act or taking a proceeding runs on its own schedule, unaffected by a term of court starting, continuing, or ending. And a court's power to act on a pending civil case does not depend on being within an active term either.
The rule also lets a trial judge handle case business in vacation — meaning outside a formal term of court — by making or directing any order, rule, judgment, or decree. The one thing a judge cannot do in vacation is conduct a trial that requires a jury.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my case lose momentum when a court term ends?
No. Rule 6.03 says the continued existence or expiration of a term of court does not affect or limit any deadline, and does not limit the court's power to act on a pending civil action.
Can a Kentucky judge sign an order outside of a regular court term?
Yes. A trial judge may make or direct any order, rule, judgment, or decree in vacation. The only exception is conducting a trial that requires a jury.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 6.03). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky (Ky. Const. § 116). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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