A temporary restraining order (TRO) is a court order requiring the parties to whom it is addressed not to engage in certain activity, or to continue to engage in certain activity, and is usually designed to maintain the current state of things (the status quo) until the court has the opportunity to hear a more complete presentation of the evidence—usually during an application for a temporary injunction that will remain in place while the lawsuit is pending.

In Tennessee, a temporary restraining order (TRO) is a legal measure used to provide immediate but short-term protection to a person or entity by ordering another party to either refrain from certain actions or to continue certain actions. The purpose of a TRO is to preserve the status quo until a more comprehensive hearing can be held, typically for a temporary injunction that could last for the duration of a pending lawsuit. To obtain a TRO, the requesting party must file a motion along with their complaint, or sometimes by separate motion if the case is already underway, and must demonstrate that they will suffer immediate and irreparable harm without the TRO. The court may issue a TRO without notice to the opposing party if it deems that giving notice would result in significant harm, but such ex parte TROs are typically very short in duration. A hearing for a longer-term injunction is usually scheduled quickly thereafter. Tennessee courts follow Rule 65 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, which governs the issuance of restraining orders and injunctions.