a writ issued by a court at the request of one of the parties to a suit; it requires a witness to bring to court or to a deposition any relevant documents under the witness's control
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
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Following the Watergate break-in scandal (1972-1974), a subpoena was issued for tapes and papers related to meetings held by Richard Nixon in the Oval Office. The president claimed "executive privilege" to withhold the evidence, but the Supreme Court rejected his immunity claiming that no person is beyond the law. This decision reinforced the impeachment process and led to Nixon's resignation. The unanimous opinion was written by Justice Warren Burger. Read the full text here.
The vocabulary on this list is from paragraphs 1-6 of the opinion.