Federal prosecutors can issue subpoenas to telecommunications carriers to obtain subscribers' phone toll records.
November 21, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a common legal mechanism used in criminal and other investigations to acquire telephone metadata from carriers.
Court-issued gag orders can accompany subpoenas for phone records to delay or prohibit notifying the subpoena target for a specified period.
November 21, 2025
high
procedural
Gag orders are judicial tools that can limit disclosure about the existence of a subpoena or investigation.
Parties in litigation can move to quash subpoenas by arguing that the official who authorized the subpoenas lacked lawful appointment or authority.
October 31, 2025
high
legal
Procedural defense used to challenge the validity of subpoenas and investigative actions.
Obtaining telephone toll records pursuant to a subpoena is a routine and lawful investigative step used by U.S. law enforcement and is generally regarded as not violating an individual's expectation of privacy.
September 27, 2023
high
legal
Legal characterization of subpoenas for telephone toll records in criminal investigations.
Law enforcement agencies can obtain telephone call records from telecommunications providers via legal process such as subpoenas.
high
procedural
Subpoenas and other legal orders are standard mechanisms for acquiring call detail records from providers in investigations.
In federal criminal investigations, a grand jury can authorize investigative steps such as subpoenas or analyses of phone records.
high
procedural
Describes a durable legal mechanism for authorizing investigative actions in federal cases.
Subpoenas seeking cellphone records can request subscriber names and addresses and call-detail information including inbound and outbound call logs, text message records, direct-connect communications, and voicemail records.
high
procedural
Describes types of data elements that can be specified in subpoenas for phone records.
A subpoena is a legal instrument used by prosecutors and law enforcement to compel testimony and the production of information from individuals during investigations.
high
procedural
General description of the role of subpoenas in criminal and regulatory investigations
In family court custody disputes, attorneys can subpoena federal investigators, state child welfare agency investigators, and other third-party witnesses to compel testimony or evidence.
high
legal-procedural
Describes common discovery and evidence-compelling tools available to attorneys in custody litigation.