What is a court order that prevents individuals from engaging in specific activities known as?

The correct term for a court order that prevents individuals from engaging in specific activities is an injunction. An injunction is a legal remedy issued by a court to either compel a party to take a specific action or to prohibit a party from performing certain acts. This legal mechanism is commonly used in civil cases to prevent harm or maintain the status quo until a final decision is made.

For example, a court may issue an injunction to stop a company from using a trade secret until the court resolves a lawsuit regarding the ownership of that trade secret. Injunctions are crucial in various legal scenarios, particularly those involving disputes over property, contracts, or intellectual property rights.

While other terms like "mandate" and "cease and desist" are related to legal contexts, they do not specifically indicate a court's order to refrain from specific actions in the same way that an injunction does. A restraining order, on the other hand, is a specific type of injunction that generally aims to protect individuals from harassment or harm in situations involving personal safety, but it is just one application of the broader concept of injunctions.