Stay

What stay means

In practice, you will see stay in pleadings, motions, orders and court rules. The definition above explains the general meaning. Even so, the meaning can shift with context. Therefore, always read it alongside the rule or document where it appears.

Where stay comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Stay of Proceedings to Enforce a Judgment (Fed. R. Civ. P. 62): pausing enforcement of a judgment, automatically for a short time or by court order with security.
• Motion for a Stay Pending Appeal (Fed. R. App. P. 8(a)): a request to pause a judgment or order while an appeal is decided.

How to research the term

Start with the primary source. For example, if stay appears in a federal rule, read the rule itself and its official notes. After that, check your court’s local rules and any standing orders from the judge. In addition, search recent decisions from your own state or federal district. They show how courts read stay in practice. Because state rules often differ, our state procedures guide links to each state’s official rules. Above all, make sure the version you read is still in force.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Bond: security posted with the court, such as for an injunction or to stay enforcement of a judgment.
• Statute of limitations: a law setting the deadline for starting a lawsuit. Limitations periods vary by claim and jurisdiction.
• Statutes at Large: the official chronological publication of every law and concurrent resolution enacted by Congress, arranged by the order of enactment and cited by volume and page, such as 48 Stat. 112.
• Stipulation: an agreement between the parties on a procedural or factual matter, often filed with the court.
• Strawman: in sovereign-citizen and redemption theories, a claimed separate legal entity represented by a person's name written in capital letters. We have not found a statute or court decision recognizing such an entity.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.