Subpoenas for attendance at an oral hearing.
17 C.F.R. § 12.313
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) In general—(1) Application for issuance of subpoenas. An application for a subpoena requiring a party or other person to appear and testify at an oral hearing (subpoena ad testificandum) or to appear and testify and to produce specified documentary or tangible evidence at the hearing (subpoena duces tecum), shall (unless made orally at a hearing) be filed in writing and in duplicate, but need not be served upon other parties. The application shall be accompanied by the original and one copy of the subpoena.
(2) Standards for issuance or denial of subpoenas. The Administrative Law Judge considering any application for a subpoena shall issue the subpoena if they are satisfied the application complies with this section and the request is not unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope or unduly burdensome. In the event they determine that a requested subpoena or any of its terms is unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope, or unduly burdensome, the Administrative Law Judge may refuse to issue the subpoena, or may issue it only upon such conditions as they determine fairness requires.
(b) Special requirements relating to application for an issuance of subpoenas for the appearance of commission employees—(1) Form. An application for the issuance of a subpoena shall be made in the form of a written motion served upon all other parties, if the subpoena would require the appearance of a Commissioner or an official or employee of the Commission.
(2) Content. The motion shall specifically describe the material to be produced, the information to be disclosed, or the testimony to be elicited from the witness, and shall show
(i) The relevance of the material, information, or testimony to the matters at issue in the proceeding;
(ii) The reasonableness of the scope of the proposed subpoena; and
(iii) That such material, information, or testimony is not available from other sources.
(3) Rulings. The motion shall be decided by the Administrative Law Judge and the order shall provide such terms and conditions for the production of the material, the disclosure of the information, or the appearance of the witnesses as may appear necessary and appropriate for the protection of the public interest.
(c) Service of subpoenas—(1) How effected. Service of a subpoena upon a party shall be made in accordance with § 12.10. Service of a subpoena upon any other person shall be made by delivering a copy of the subpoena to them as provided in paragraph (c)(2) or (3) of this section, and by tendering to them the fees for one day's attendance and the mileage as specified in paragraph (e) of this section. When the subpoena is issued at the instance of any officer or agency of the United States, fees and mileage need not be tendered at the time of service.
(2) Service upon a natural person. Delivery of a copy of a subpoena and tender of fees and mileage to a natural person may be effected by:
(i) Handing them to the person;
(ii) Leaving them at the person's office with the person in charge thereof or, if there is no one in charge, by leaving the subpoena in a conspicuous place therein;
(iii) Leaving them at the person's dwelling place or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein;
(iv) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to them at their last known address; or
(v) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to the person and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(3) Service upon other persons. When the person to be served is not a natural person, delivery of a copy of the subpoena and tender of the fees and mileage may be effected by
(i) Handing them to a registered agent for service, or to any officer, director, or agent in charge of any office of such person;
(ii) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to any such representative at the person's last known address; or
(iii) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to any such representative and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(d) Motion to quash subpoena. At or any time before the time specified in the subpoena for compliance therewith, a person upon whom a subpoena has been served may file a motion to quash or modify the subpoena with the Administrative Law Judge who issued the subpoena, and serve a copy of the motion on the party who requested the subpoena. Such motion shall include a brief statement of the reasons therefor. After due notice to the person upon whose request the subpoena was issued, and an opportunity for that person to respond, the Administrative Law Judge may (1) quash or modify the subpoena, or (2) condition denial of the application to quash or modify the subpoena upon just and reasonable terms, including, on the case of a subpoena duces tecum, a requirement that the person on whose behalf the subpoena was issued shall advance the reasonable cost of producing documentary or other tangible evidence.
(e) Attendance and mileage fees. Persons summoned to testify at a hearing under requirement of subpoenas are entitled to the same fees and mileage as are paid to witnesses in the courts of the United States. Fees and mileage shall be paid by the party at whose instance the persons are subpoenaed or called.
(f) Enforcement of subpoenas. Upon failure of any person to comply with a subpoena issued at the request of a party, that party may petition the Commission, in its discretion, to institute an action in an appropriate U.S. District Court for enforcement of the subpoena.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-17.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026