subpoena
/səˈpiːnə
/Law
noun
(in full subpoena ad testificandum) A writ ordering a person to attend a court: a subpoena may be issued to compel their attendance [mass noun]: they were all under subpoena to appear...
- Even if it is a US bank which is ordered by a US subpoena, other common law courts have applied traditional conflict-of-laws analysis.
- Further, the day-to-day administration of criminal justice functions with many witnesses who are not under subpoena and who attend voluntarily to give evidence.
- It held that if an individual does not comply with a subpoena or order issued by the Tribunal, he could be held in contempt of the Tribunal and the specific contempt procedure could be set in motion.
verb (subpoenas, subpoenaing, subpoenaed or subpoena'd) [with object]
1Summon (someone) with a subpoena: the Queen is above the law and cannot be subpoenaed...
- The appellant was unable to subpoena the necessary witnesses.
- In addition, in July several people were subpoenaed to testify about their protest activities before a grand jury convened in Missouri.
- Your office could do more, the witnesses were not subpoenaed and brought along, and the magistrate is sure to have plenty to do.
1.1Require (a document or other evidence) to be submitted to a court of law: the decision to subpoena government records...
- It doesn't have the power to subpoena documents, evidence, or testimony, either.
- Criminal defendants, like civil defendants, should be able to freely conduct depositions, subpoena documents and witnesses, and serve interrogatories.
- My learned friend took you to an early stage of the proceedings where the accused had subpoenaed documents.
Origin
Late Middle English (as a noun): from Latin sub poena 'under penalty' (the first words of the writ). Use as a verb dates from the mid 17th century.