Adjournment sine die

Adjournment sine die (from Latin 'without a date') is the conclusion of a meeting by a deliberative assembly, such as a legislature or organizational board, without setting a date to reconvene. ^[1] The assembly can reconvene, either in its present form or a reconstituted form, if preexisting laws and rules provide for this. Otherwise the adjournment effectively dissolves the assembly. ^[2]

A court may also adjourn a matter sine die, which means that the matter is stayed until further notice. In a sine die adjournment of this type, the hearing stands open indefinitely, and could theoretically be resumed if the situation changed. ^[3]

United States usage

The Congress of the United States customarily adjourns a session sine die on the morning of January 3, immediately before the next session holds its constitutionally mandated first meeting. It can also adjourn sine die at other times through a concurrent resolution that allows the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader to resume the session. ^[4]

State legislatures follow suit and mark adjournment sine die with a ceremony, such as the Connecticut General Assembly wherein, on the final day of the legislative session, the House and Senate meet in a joint convention, and the Secretary of the State recites "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez", pounds the gavel, and declares the legislature adjourned sine die. ^{[5] [6]}

In the Florida Legislature, the sergeants-at-arms of the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives step outside their chambers each holding a handkerchief. When they meet in between the chambers, they both drop the handkerchiefs, signifying the end of the legislative session. ^{[7] [8]}

Hong Kong usage

On 28 June 1997, Andrew Wong, President of the last Legislative Council of Hong Kong as a British crown colony, which was to be dissolved by the incoming sovereign power over Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and replaced by a provisional legislature, declared at the end of its last session: "In accordance with the Standing Orders of the Legislative Council, I now adjourn the Council, sine die." ^[9]

References

1. Sine die Webster's New World College Dictionary, Retrieved July 18th, 2009
2. Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. p. 83. ISBN   978-0-306-82020-5.
3. Glossary - Latin Terms: Sine Die Archived 2010-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, Retrieved May 16, 2011
4. "Adjournment sine die", US Senate Glossary, Retrieved July 18, 2009
5. "Session Scheduling Rules". Connecticut General Assembly.
6. Lohman, Judith (April 20, 2004). "Sine Die Adjournment Ceremonies". Connecticut General Assembly Office of Legislative Research.
7. Dughi, Don (1979). "Sine Die Handkerchief Ceremony-Florida State Capitol". Florida State Library and Archives.
8. "Tallahassee not only capitol with 'sine die' traditions". Florida Politics. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
9. "OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS | LegCo Sitting 1996/97 Session" (PDF). LegCo Sitting 1996/97 Session. June 27, 1997. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.