Art. 1351 Issuance; form

If you need someone to show up in court as a witness, the clerk of court will issue a subpoena to make that happen. This can be done at the request of a judge or either side in the case. The clerk officially stamps the subpoena with the court's seal to make it valid.

The subpoena itself has to include some basic information. It needs to list the name of the court and the title of the case, so everyone knows which lawsuit it relates to. It also has to state exactly when and where the witness needs to appear.

Once a witness receives a subpoena, they are required to show up at the specified time and place. They stay under this obligation until the court tells them they are free to go, meaning they can't just leave early or ignore the order once they've been properly notified.