capias

Definition

A fancy Latin term for an arrest warrant that literally means "that you take"—because apparently regular arrest warrants weren't intimidating enough without the dead language. It's a court order commanding law enforcement to haul someone's behind into custody, typically when they've failed to show up for court or need to be detained. These days it's mostly used in civil cases or when someone skips bail.

Example Usage

The judge issued a capias when the defendant failed to appear for the third time.

Source: Legal terminology via standard dictionary definition

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