subpoena power
Legal testimony compulsion
Subpoena power is the legal authority to compel testimony or the production of documents.
Courts have inherent subpoena power; legislative bodies and certain agencies have it by statute.
The committee invoked its subpoena power to obtain the company's financial records.
Without subpoena power, an investigation lacks teeth—witnesses can simply refuse to appear.
- summonsFormal court notification
- discovery processPretrial evidence-gathering procedure
- lawyerLicensed legal representative
- judgeOne who decides
- contempt of courtDisobedience toward judicial authority
congressional · executive privilege · witness · enforcement actions · jurisdiction · deposition · legislative oversight · fines · parliamentary procedure · special counsel · witness testimony · under oath · authority · affidavit · imprisonment · court order · due process · attorney-client privilege
- Senatesenate seat, Senate floor, senior senator, Senate chamber, confirmation hearings
- checks and balanceschecks and balances, separation of powers, impeachment, congressional oversight, executive privilege
- Congress powersdeclare war, impeachment, lawmaking, appropriations, advice and consent
- ConstitutionBill of Rights, preamble, articles, U.S. Constitution, Article I
- government powerswar powers, pardon, pardons, eminent domain, impeachment
- hearingscongressional hearing, congressional hearings, committee hearing, confirmation hearing, public hearings