stay legal definition

A judicial order forbidding or holding in abeyance some action until some particular event occurs, or until the court lifts the stay. A single justice of the United States Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunctionÂ’s being enforced pending an appeal to the full Court. See also injunction and restraining order.

A procedure to prevent the carrying out of a judgment for a specified period of time; in the case of death penalty, an order from a higher court or executive branch of a state to halt the execution, usually pending further appeals.