Court summons (8)
I believe the answer is:
subpoena
'court summons' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for subpoena that I've seen before include "Attendance-requiring writ" , "A summons to attend court case" , "Writ commanding person to appear in court" , "Writ commanding court attendance" , "Summon to court" .)