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Subpoena
SUBPOENA[Latin, Under penalty.] A formal document that orders a named individual to appear before a duly authorized body at a fixed time to give testimony. A court, grand jury, legislative body, or administrative agency uses a subpoena to compel an individual to appear before it at a specified time to give testimony. An individual who receives a subpoena but fails to appear may be charged with contempt of court and subjected to civil or criminal penalties. In addition, a person who has been served with a subpoena and has failed to appear may be brought to the proceedings by a law enforcement officer who serves a second subpoena, called an instanter. A subpoena must be served on the individual ordered to appear. In some states a law enforcement officer or process server must personally serve it, whereas other states allow service by mail or with a telephone call. It is most often used to compel witnesses to appear at a civil or criminal trial. A trial attorney may receive an assurance from a person who says that she will appear in court on a certain day to testify, but if a subpoena is not issued and served on the witness, she is not legally required to appear. It is up to the attorneys in a case to request subpoenas, which are routinely issued by the trial court administrator's office. The subpoena must give the name of the legal proceedings, the name of the person who is being ordered to appear, and the time and place of the court hearing. Legislative investigating committees also issue subpoenas to compel recalcitrant witnesses to appear. Congressional investigations of political scandal, such as the watergate scandals of the Nixon administration, the iran-contra scandal of the Reagan administration, and the whitewater scandal of the Clinton administration, rely on subpoenas to obtain testimony. A subpoena that commands a person to bring certain evidence, usually documents or papers, is called a subpoena duces tecum, from the Latin "under penalty to bring with you." This type of subpoena is often used in a civil lawsuit where one party resists giving the other party documents through the discovery process. If a court is convinced that the document request is legitimate, it will order the production of documents using a subpoena duces tecum. A party may resist a subpoena duces tecum by refusing to comply and requesting a court hearing. One of the most famous refusals of a subpoena was richard m. nixon's reluctance to turn over the tape recordings of his White House office conversations to the Watergate special prosecutor. Nixon fought the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court in united states v. nixon, 418 U.S. 683, 94 S. Ct. 3090, 41 L. Ed. 2d 1039 (1974). The Court upheld the subpoena, leading Nixon to resign his office a short time later. |
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"Subpoena." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Subpoena." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704220.html "Subpoena." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704220.html |
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subpoena
subpoena [Lat.,=under penalty], in law, an order to a witness to appear before a court. A subpoena ad testificandum [Lat.,= to testify under penalty], the technical term denoting an ordinary subpoena, is a command for an individual to appear at a particular time and place to testify on a specific matter. A subpoena duces tecum [Lat.,=bring with you under penalty] requires a witness to produce at trial books, personal papers, or other material relevant to a judicial proceeding. Failure to obey a subpoena constitutes contempt of court, though subpoenas can be challenged. |
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"subpoena." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "subpoena." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-subpoena.html "subpoena." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-subpoena.html |
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subpoena
sub·poe·na / səˈpēnə/ Law • n. (in full subpoena ad testificandum) a writ ordering a person to attend a court: a subpoena may be issued to compel their attendance | they were all under subpoena to appear. • v. (-nas , -naed / -nəd/ , -na·ing ) [tr.] summon (someone) with a subpoena: the Queen is above the law and cannot be subpoenaed. ∎ require (a document or other evidence) to be submitted to a court of law: the decision to subpoena government records. |
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"subpoena." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "subpoena." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-subpoena.html "subpoena." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-subpoena.html |
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Subpoena
Subpoena (Lat., “under penalty”), an order of a court to a person commanding him or her to appear as a witness or to produce documents in his or her possession (subpoena duces tecum). The use of subpoenas in civil proceedings in federal courts is regulated by rule 45 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
William M. Wiecek |
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KERMIT L. HALL. "Subpoena." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. KERMIT L. HALL. "Subpoena." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O184-Subpoena.html KERMIT L. HALL. "Subpoena." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O184-Subpoena.html |
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subpoena
subpoena a writ ordering a person to attend a court; originally, a writ issued by chancery ordering a person to answer a matter alleged against them. The word is recorded from late Middle English and comes from Latin sub poena (‘under penalty’), the first words of the writ.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "subpoena." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "subpoena." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-subpoena.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "subpoena." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-subpoena.html |
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subpoena
subpoena (Lat. ‘under penalty’) In law, an order that commands a person to appear before a court or judicial officer to give evidence at a specific time and place. Failure to obey a subpoena is a criminal offence.
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"subpoena." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "subpoena." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-subpoena.html "subpoena." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-subpoena.html |
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subpoena
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T. F. HOAD. "subpoena." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "subpoena." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-subpoena.html T. F. HOAD. "subpoena." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-subpoena.html |
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Subpoena
SUBPOENASUBPOENA. SeePresidents and Subpoenas . |
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"Subpoena." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Subpoena." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401804061.html "Subpoena." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401804061.html |
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subpoena
subpoena
•abstainer, arcana, campaigner, Cana, caner, cantilena, complainer, container, detainer, drainer, entertainer, explainer, Gaenor, gainer, Gaynor, grainer, Jena, Lena, maintainer, Marlene, N'Djamena, obtainer, ordainer, planar, planer, profaner, Rayner, retainer, scena, seiner, Sinn Feiner, strainer, sustainer, trainer, uniplanar
•straightener
•Adelina, Angelina, arena, Argentina, ballerina, Ballymena, Bettina, Bukovina, Burkina, cantina, Cartagena, casuarina, catena, Christina, cleaner, concertina, congener, contravener, convener, Cortina, demeanour (US demeanor), deus ex machina, duodena, Edwina, Ena, farina, Filipina, galena, Georgina, Gina, gleaner, hyena, Ina, intervener, kachina, kina, Magdalena, marina, Martina, Medina, Messalina, Messina, misdemeanour (US misdemeanor), Nina, novena, ocarina, Palestrina, Pasadena, Philomena, piscina, retsina, Rowena, Sabrina, scarlatina, screener, Selina, semolina, Seraphina, Serena, Sheena, signorina, sonatina, subpoena, Taormina, tsarina, verbena, vina, weaner, wiener, Wilhelmina, Zena
•sweetener • pipecleaner
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"subpoena." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "subpoena." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-subpoena.html "subpoena." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-subpoena.html |
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