I need some learnin about law

[Platapus]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/17/palin.investigation/index.html

"Aides to Gov. Sarah Palin won't comply with subpoenas issued by state lawmakers investigating the firing of Alaska's former public safety commissioner because Palin "has declined to participate" in the probe, her attorney general says.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpoena

"A subpoena is commonly defined as a written command to a person to testify before a court or be punished.

More accurately, a subpoena is the conditional threat of punishment made by a governmental authority. It is attached to a command, so that if the recipient does not do as commanded then he may be punished. Subpoenas are associated with common law legal systems."

We got any lawyer types here who can explain to me (in small words) how people can just blow off a subpoena and not automatically get hit with the contempt punishment?

I always thought that Subpoenas were either show up or you go to jail type of thing?

Can someone here learn me a few things about Subpoenas, as evidently I have the wrong impression of them?

[Platapus]

Could this reporting of "won't comply with subpoenas", just the media's misreporting a motion to quash?

Not that I would ever intimate that the media would misreport something in an attempt to stir up controversy. That would be wrong. :nope:

[SUBMAN1]

I'm sure there are some details out there that are missing here, such as a challenge to the subpoena if it can be proved on political grounds of some sort.

-S

[1480]

Depends on what the subpoenas are for. Could be records, people etc.