einstweilige

Einstweilige is a German adjective meaning provisional, temporary, or for the time being. In legal language it is used to describe measures or actions that are not final judgments but are intended to preserve rights or the status quo until a court can decide the main dispute. The form is commonly encountered in compound terms such as einstweilige Verfügung.

In civil procedure, the most well-known application is the einstweilige Verfügung, or interim injunction. This is a court order issued to prevent irreparable harm or to maintain the existing situation while the substantive case proceeds. Such measures are designed to bridge the gap until the merits of the case can be fully examined. To grant an interim injunction, the court typically requires urgency and at least a prima facie indication that the underlying claim is well founded. The applicant may also need to demonstrate that ordinary legal remedies would be insufficient to protect the rights at stake.

If issued, a court may demand security (Sicherheit) to cover potential damages caused by the provisional order if the final decision later reverses it. The use of einstweilige Verfügungen is governed by national civil procedure rules and can vary in detail between jurisdictions, such as Germany and Austria, which employ similar mechanisms to balance speed and fairness in urgent situations.

Beyond civil procedure, the term einstweilig can appear in broader legal or administrative contexts to denote temporary arrangements or decisions made for the present period, pending longer-term resolutions.