subpoena
Noun:
- A formal written order issued by a court, government agency, or legislative body that commands a person to appear at a specific time and place to give testimony or to produce documents or other evidence. Failure to comply can result in penalties for contempt of court.
Verb:
- To serve or summon someone with a subpoena; to legally compel a person's attendance or the production of evidence through the issuance of such a writ.
Noun:
- The lawyer issued a subpoena to compel the key witness to testify at the trial.
- The company received a subpoena for all financial records from the last five years.
Verb:
- The prosecutor decided to subpoena the former employee.
- The journalist was subpoenaed to reveal her confidential sources.
"to be under subpoena": To be legally obligated to comply with a subpoena that has been served.
- As a material witness, he is under subpoena and must appear in court next week.
"to quash a subpoena": To ask a court to cancel or invalidate a subpoena, often on the grounds that it is unreasonable, overly broad, or improper.
- The defense attorney filed a motion to quash the subpoena for the doctor's personal notes.
Subpoena duces tecum (n): A specific type of subpoena that commands a person to produce physical evidence, such as documents or records, at a legal proceeding.
- The subpoena duces tecum required the bank to bring the loan agreements to the hearing.
Subpoena ad testificandum (n): A subpoena that specifically commands a person to appear and give oral testimony.
- The subpoena ad testificandum was served to the expert witness.
- Summons (n): A call by an authority to appear, come, or do something. (Note: A is often a notice to appear in court as a defendant, while a is for witnesses or evidence.)
- Writ (n): A formal written order issued by a court.
"to serve a subpoena": To deliver a subpoena officially to the person or entity it commands.
- The process server attempted to serve the subpoena at the witness's home address.
"to comply with a subpoena": To obey the commands of a subpoena.
- The organization chose to comply with the subpoena and provided the requested emails.
(This word is highly specific to legal contexts and does not commonly appear in idiomatic expressions.)
- a writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
- serve or summon with a subpoena
- The witness and her records were subpoenaed