Cryptic crossword clue
Start of summer month with Judge away, keeping court as place of retreat 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SANCTUARY

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "place of retreat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case place of retreat = sanctuary.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does SANCTUARY mean?

SANCTUARY noun
  1. A place of safety, refuge or protection.
  2. An area set aside for protection.
  3. A state of being protected, asylum.
  4. The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.

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