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.
hearing - (law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence. legal proceeding, proceeding, proceedings - (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked.