An injunction prevents or compels a particular act by court order. An injunction may either be prohibitory or mandatory. A prohibitory injunction prevents action, leaving the parties in the same position as they were prior to the injunction. Conversely, a mandatory injunction compels an affirmative act, causing a change in the position of the parties. The latter type is harder to obtain.
Before a case is heard, courts will generally consider four factors when determining whether to grant a preliminary injunction:
- Whether the movant will be irreparably injured if the injunction is denied
- Whether the movant is likely to prevail on the merits
- The balance of harms between the movant and respondent if the injunction is granted
- The public interest
