The time is to be considered.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) The time at which an act occurred or a right accrued is a material fact — the validity and effect of legal transactions must be judged by the law and circumstances prevailing at the relevant date.

Where this applies

• A contract signed in 1980 is interpreted under the commercial law that was in effect in 1980, not the revised version enacted in 2005 — the time of the act controls.
• A property tax assessment is challenged because the assessor used current market values instead of the values at the time the assessment was due — the relevant date matters.
• A will executed in 1970 is construed according to the inheritance laws in force at the date of the testator's death, not the laws in effect when the will was written — the applicable time must be considered.