Courts are required to issue subpoenas when requested by either the State or the defense.

• A. False
• B. Only for grand jury
• C. True
• D. Only if a judge approves

Answer: (C)

Subpoenas are a tool courts use to compel attendance or the production of evidence, ensuring that the information needed for a fair proceeding is available. When either the State or the defense needs a witness to testify or documents to be produced, they can request that the court issue a subpoena. The court, following rules about relevance, burden, and privilege, issues the subpoena and directs the witness or custodian to comply. In most jurisdictions, this doesn’t require a separate judge’s sign-off for each subpoena—the court or its clerk issues it once the request meets the applicable rules. Grand jury subpoenas are a related process but not the only context in which subpoenas are issued, so the broader rule still applies. If a subpoena is improper, a party can challenge it, but the baseline is that subpoenas are available on request from either side to obtain necessary evidence.