bench warrant

A bench warrant is a process or a legal document issued by the court itself or from the “ bench ” for the detainment or arrest of a person in a criminal or civil court proceeding , either in a case of contempt , especially when the criminal defendant is on bail or a witness under subpoena does not appear for trial, or where an indictment has been filed against the defendant.

[Last reviewed in January of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

Keywords

• lawsuits-court
• criminal law

Wex

• THE LEGAL PROCESS
• courts
• criminal law
• criminal procedure
• legal practice/ethics
• wex definitions
• civil procedure
• courts and procedure
• criminal law and procedure