Open access
LAW AND TIME
Mateusz JAGIEŁA1
Publication language: Polish
scientific paper
Transformations No. 3(126)2025, Publication date: 30 December 2025
Keywords: time in law, temporality of law, vacatio legis, retroactivity, intertemporal law, limitation of actions (prescription), acquisitive prescription (usucaption), procedural deadlines, legal certainty, acquired rights, intergenerational justice
Abstract The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the multidimensional relationship between law and time. The author undertakes theoretical considerations regarding time as a legal category, drawing upon philosophical concepts of temporality and their influence on legal constructions. The paper discusses issues concerning the temporal validity of law, including the institution of vacatio legis, the principle of non-retroactivity, and intertemporal law. A detailed analysis is devoted to legal institutions based on the passage of time, such as limitation of actions (prescription) and acquisitive prescription (usucaption), as well as temporal aspects of procedural law, with particular emphasis on the right to have a case heard within a reasonable time. The article also includes axiological reflections on the connections between legal temporality, legal certainty, protection of acquired rights, and intergenerational justice.
Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, Polska
ORCID: 0000-0002-2280-0522
E-mail: m.jagiela@uksw.edu.pl