Legal Definitions - time order

Definition: A command or instruction given by a court or judge that relates to some intermediate matter in a case, not disposing of the merits, but adjudicating a preliminary point or directing some step in the proceedings. It can also refer to an investor's instruction to buy or sell securities.

• Interim order: A temporary court decree that takes effect until something else occurs.
• Stop order: An order to buy or sell when the security's price reaches a specified level (the stop price) on the market.

The first example illustrates how a time order can be a temporary court decree that is issued during the pendency of a case, before the final order or judgment has been entered. The second example illustrates how a time order can be an investor's instruction to buy or sell securities at a specific time or price.