Legal Definitions - prorogation

Definition: Prorogation is the act of postponing something to another day. In legal terms, it refers to the discontinuation of a legislative session until its next term. It can also refer to the extension of a court's or judge's jurisdiction by consent of the parties to a case that it would otherwise be incompetent to hear.

Examples:

• The parliament's prorogation was met with protests from the opposition parties.
• The court granted prorogation of jurisdiction to hear the case.

The first example illustrates prorogation in the context of a legislative session being postponed until its next term. The second example illustrates prorogation in the context of a court's jurisdiction being extended by consent of the parties to a case.