in September. New York courts divide the year into 13 terms starting in January. The Georgia Court of Appeals uses a three-term year starting in January. The Illinois Supreme Court divides the year into six terms starting in January. Several states, like Ohio and Mississippi, do not have a uniform statewide rule for terms of court, so the number of terms varies greatly from one court to the next because every single court sets forth its own terms of court in its local rules. However, the majority of U.S. states and most federal courts have abandoned the legal year and the related concept of terms of court. Instead, they reverse the presumption. They merely mandate that the courts are to be open year-round during business hours on every day that is not Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday. A typical example is Rule 77(c)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which states that "The clerk's office ... must be open during business hours every day except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays." Furthermore, states: "All courts of the United States shall be deemed always open for the purpose of filing proper papers, issuing and returning process, and making motions and orders." References See also Law Terms Act 1830 Further reading External links Legal year information from judiciary.gov.uk Practice Direction setting out term dates English law Calendars