Arkansas Code Annotated

Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-114 (2026)

Courts not to open on Sunday — Exceptions

✓ current as of May 2026

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No court shall be opened or transact business on Sunday unless it is for the purpose of receiving a verdict or discharging a jury.
Every adjournment of a court on Saturday shall always be to some other day than Sunday, except such adjournment as may be made after a cause has been committed to a jury.
This section shall not prevent the exercise of the jurisdiction of any magistrate when it may be necessary in criminal cases to preserve the peace or arrest the offenders; nor shall this section inhibit the exercise of the jurisdiction of any magistrate on Sunday in disposing of misdemeanor cases where the defendant desires to and does enter a plea of guilty or a plea of nolo contendere.

History. Rev. Stat., ch. 43, § 36; C. & M. Dig., § 2113; Pope's Dig., § 2718; Acts 1955, No. 30, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 22-120.

Research References

Ark. L. Rev.

Courts Not to Be Open on Sunday — Exceptions, 9 Ark. L. Rev. 393.

Case Notes

Accepting Plea on Sunday.

Where the trial court accepted appellant's plea for capital felony murder on a Sunday, the statutory violation did not affect the trial court's jurisdiction over the matter; further, a petition for writ of habeas corpus was not the proper method with which to claim a statutory violation. Noble v. Norris, 368 Ark. 69, 243 S.W.3d 260 (2006).

Administrative Boards.

An order of the Board of Chiropractic Examiners suspending a chiropractor's license made at the conclusion of a hearing held on Sunday was void. Chester v. Ark. State Bd. of Chiropractic Exmrs., 245 Ark. 846, 435 S.W.2d 100 (1968).

Receiving Verdict on Sunday.

Court, after receiving verdict on Sunday, may adjourn court over to some other day. Eyer v. State, 112 Ark. 37, 164 S.W. 756 (1914).

Issuing a contempt order on Sunday did not invalidate the order because a verdict was received at the same time. James v. Pulaski County Circuit Court, 2014 Ark. 305, 439 S.W.3d 19 (2014).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 1994–2014 · leading case: Noble v. Norris, 243 S.W.3d 260 (Ark. 2006).

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Noble v. Norris, 243 S.W.3d 260 (Ark. 2006). · cites it 12× “In support of its argument, the State claims that section 16-10-114 does not affect a trial court’s subject-matter jurisdiction and, therefore, any violation of the statute does not fall within the ambit of habeas relief.”

James v. Pulaski Cnty. Circuit Court, Fifth Div., 2014 Ark. 305 (Ark. 2014). · cites it 6× “For his third point on appeal regarding the first contempt citation, 1 James contends that the circuit court’s contempt order is invalid because it was entered on a Sunday, which is in violation of Ark.Code Ann. § 16-10-114 (Repl.2010), “Courts not to be open on Sunday —…”

Jones v. Jones, 907 S.W.2d 745 (Ark. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 5× “Jones was represented by an attorney, Thomas S. Stone. Notice was not given Mr.”

McCarty v. Bd. of Trs., 872 S.W.2d 74 (Ark. Ct. App. 1994). · cites it 2× “Since Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-114 (1987) provides that no court shall be open or transact business on Sunday (except to receive a verdict or discharge a jury), we believe that this statute, which is a general statute, would apply and allow the petition and notice of appeal filed…”

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