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subpoena legal definition
noun
Latin
Under penalty. A writ issued by a court commanding a person to
appear, with penalties that attach for failure to comply.
verb
The act of sending a subpoena to a witness or other person to secure his
attendance and testimony at trial or other proceeding (such as deposition);
generally, subpoenas are obtained and sent out by the lawyers, rather than
directly by the court.
subpoena ad testificandum
The most common type of subpoena, ordering a witness
to testify.
subpoena duces tecum
Issued at the request of one of the parties to a lawsuit,
ordering a witness to appear and bring relevant documents to the hearing.
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