Ordeal in court (5)
I believe the answer is:
trial
This clue is a double definition.
'ordeal' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'court' is the second definition.
(trial court is a kind of court)
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for trial that I've seen before include "Judicial hearing and judgment" , "Pilot" , "Proceedings to determine guilt or innocence" , "Criminal court case" , "show at Crufts?" .)