Bench Warrant Records and Consequences

Bench warrant is a version of the popularly known arrest warrant. The basic difference between the two is that bench warrant is handed over by the judges of the court, unlike arrest warrant issued by the police. Another difference is that bench warrants may not receive bail like general arrest warrants.

How a Bench Warrant is Issued

Bench warrant is issued by the judges if an individual fails to obey a court order. In most cases it is has been seen that people who attend a summons from a court on a specified date are handed over bench warrant. Bench warrants are also issued to a person who disobeys a subpoena. In Latin, subpoena translates to ‘under punishment”, and this term is exclusively used in US courts. Witness Summons is the name of subpoena in the United Kingdom.  If a person or a witness, who has been issued a subpoena does not appear at the scheduled date, he/she can be arrested or issued fine for the crime of court contempt.

In such a case, the law enforcement authority has the right to bring a person to the court in order to prosecute the charges. Bench warrant is a legal tool to punish a person for contempt of court. In general one should pay respect to the directives of the court and avoid contempt of court because the offense is tantamount to grave punishment.

The name given to this category of warrant is interesting because it forces or drags an individual to the premise of the court.

Bench Warrants- Miscellaneous Causes

Generally a person’s failure to appear before the court is the cause behind issue of bench warrant, but there are several other reasons for issuance of bench warrants. During the hearing of a court trail some people might show disrespect for the entire trial process. They can be issued a bench warrant. After the court directly issues the warrant the police have the right to detain the person till they receive a release order from the judge.

Judges can issue bench warrants to a person who comes in late for court trials. They are considered to cause disruption and delay in the court proceedings. The person can save himself from the ordeal, if he can validate the reason behind his late arrival.

Types of Bench Warrants

Bench warrant is one of the varied types of warrants issued by the legal authorities of the state or the nation. It is a legal order that gives law enforcement authority to arrest a person and detain him for the purpose of ensuring his presence in the subsequent court hearing.

Bench warrants are broadly classified into two categories; criminal bench warrant and civil case warrant are issued to people who fail to appear for criminal and civil hearing cases respectively.

Bench Warrant Records

There are several ways in which the plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses and even the attorneys can be slapped with bench warrants. An action that shows blatant indifference to a court rule can force a judge to issue these warrants. All these bench warrants are recorded and they may permanently be on your personal and professional life.

State-Specific Bench Warrant Information:

Michigan Bench Warrant