We have been using the term 'mutation' pretty loosely up to this point in the course...now we need to define it more precisely: mutation-- a change in the genetic material (ie. DNA).
Stay of proceedings. A stay of proceedings is a ruling by the court in civil and criminal procedure, halting further legal process in a trial or other legal proceeding. The court can subsequently lift the stay and resume proceedings based on events taking place after the stay is ordered.
Upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition, an automatic stay is entered pursuant to Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. This stay prevents the commencement of continuation of lawsuits against the debtor, and creditors cannot institute or continue collection efforts against the debtor.