Editing Subpoena (section)

{{Short description|Writ to compel testimony or the yielding of evidence}}
{{Wiktionary|subpoena}}
A '''subpoena''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|p|iː|.|n|ə}};<ref>{{cite dictionary|title=subpoena|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/subpoena|dictionary=[[Cambridge English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209023544/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/subpoena|url-status=live|archive-date=9 February 2018}}</ref> also '''subpœna''', '''supenna''' or '''subpena'''<ref name=":0" />) or '''witness summons''' is a [[writ]] issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoenas:
# ''[[subpoena ad testificandum]]'' orders a person to testify before the ordering authority or face punishment. The subpoena can also request that the testimony be given by phone or in person.
# ''[[subpoena duces tecum]]'' orders a person or organization to bring physical evidence before the ordering authority or face punishment. This is often used for requests to mail copies of documents to a requesting party or directly to a court.