{"id":"F2025L00706","name":"High Court (2026 Sittings) Rules 2025","slug":"high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442854,"registerId":"F2025L00706-fast-fetch-1775957787923","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"High Court (2026 Sittings) Rules 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nHigh Court (2026 Sittings) Rules 2025\n\nWe, Justices of the High Court of Australia, make the following Rules of Court.\n\n \n\nDated  17    June  2025\n\n \n\nS. J. Gageler\n\n \n\nM. M. Gordon\n\n \n\nJ. J. Edelman\n\n \n\nJ. S. Gleeson\n\n \n\nJ. M. Jagot\n\n \n\nR. T. Beech‑Jones\n\nJustices of the High Court of Australia\n\nR. A. Glenn  Chief Executive and\n\nPrincipal Registrar\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Sittings of the High Court in 2026\n\n5 Repeal of these Rules\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  These Rules are the High Court (2026 Sittings) Rules 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of these Rules specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of these Rules The day after these Rules are registered. 20 June 2025\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of these Rules as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of these Rules.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of these Rules. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of these Rules.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  These Rules are made under the Judiciary Act 1903.\n\n4  Sittings of the High Court in 2026\n\n (1) Sittings of a Full Court of the High Court are to be held at Canberra and other places as required during the following periods:\n\n \n\n| Monday 2 February 2026 to Friday 13 February 2026 |\n| --- |\n| Tuesday 10 March 2026 to Friday 20 March 2026 |\n| Tuesday 7 April 2026 to Friday 17 April 2026 |\n| Monday 4 May 2026 to Friday 15 May 2026 |\n| Tuesday 9 June 2026 to Friday 19 June 2026 |\n| Monday 3 August 2026 to Friday 14 August 2026 |\n| Monday 7 September 2026 to Friday 18 September 2026 |\n| Tuesday 6 October 2026 to Friday 16 October 2026 |\n| Monday 2 November 2026 to Friday 13 November 2026 |\n| Monday 30 November 2026 to Friday 11 December 2026 |\n\n\n \n\n (2) The winter recess begins on Saturday 20 June 2026.\n\n (3) The summer recess begins on Saturday 12 December 2026.\n\n5  Repeal of these Rules\n\n  These Rules are repealed at the start of 1 January 2027.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This legislation serves its original narrow purpose: setting the annual sitting calendar for the High Court. It has not expanded beyond this administrative function."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 short sections covering name, commencement, authority, sitting dates, and repeal","No defined terms in an interpretation section","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling Act (Judiciary Act 1903)","Simple tabular format for sitting dates with no conditional logic","Automatic repeal provision is straightforward and self-executing"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument sets the High Court’s 2026 hearing calendar: ten sitting periods (Full Court) around Canberra and elsewhere as needed, with a winter recess from 20 June and a summer recess from 12 December, and it automatically expires on 1 January 2027. It matters to litigants, lawyers and the Court for scheduling, filing and case management."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Rules do not alter the High Court’s substantive jurisdiction or procedure; they simply fix the 2026 sitting timetable, commencement and repeal dates and note statutory authority (s.4; s.2; s.5; s.3). There is no textual indication these Rules expand or contract the Court’s powers or the range of persons subject to Court process compared with routine annual sitting rules."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, calendar-focused subject‑matter (s.4) — the instrument lists sitting blocks and recesses rather than creating new legal rights or remedies.","Temporal rules for commencement and repeal (s.2, s.5) — fixed legal effect dates require registry action to implement and to remove the instrument from force.","Statutory provenance (s.3) — made under the Judiciary Act 1903, so authority is clear but no additional procedural powers are created.","Administrative discretion over locations (s.4(1)) — phrase “and other places as required” grants the Court/registry unspecified operational flexibility.","Low direct compliance burden for substantive parties — primary burdens are scheduling, travel and administrative coordination for practitioners and court staff.","Limited amendment guidance — the commencement table note (s.2) indicates published explanatory material may be edited but does not set a statutory amendment process."],"plain_english_summary":"Sets the High Court’s Full Court sitting dates and locations for 2026, specifies commencement and repeal dates, and records the statutory authority.\n\nIt affects litigants, counsel, court staff and agencies that must schedule hearings; decision-making and implementation rest with the High Court Justices and the Principal Registrar, and the main costs are administrative scheduling and travel coordination (s.4; s.2; s.5; front page)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025","history":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/high-court-2026-sittings-rules-2025/documents"}}