• voracitude@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    A subpoena is a court order. Courts do not equal Congress. Separation of powers, and all that.

    Edit: To clarify, courts don’t issue subpoenas, they sign off on them. Because this hasn’t been issued as a subpoena or signed off on by a court, it’s not a subpoena and cannot be construed as one. At least, within the bounds of the law. Which as we’ve seen don’t really matter at the moment.

    • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Congress can absolutely issue subpoenas itself. Courts can rule on the legality, but they do not have to issue them on behalf of congress. ty for the edit I see what you meant now.

      • voracitude@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I realised my comment was woefully undercooked shortly after posting it 😅 It’s worth noting though that issuance isn’t the standard to be met; if the court doesn’t sign off on a subpoena, it’s not legally a subpoena and can’t be enforced regardless of who issued it.