Every warrant of commitment, issued by a court or officer pursuant to this chapter, shall specify therein, particularly, the cause of the commitment, and if it be for refusing to answer a question, that question shall be stated in the warrant.
§ 1994.Warrants; contents; direction; execution
Title 3. Of the Production of Evidence · Chapter 2. Means of Production · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1994 requires every warrant of commitment issued under this chapter to state particularly the cause of the commitment, and if a witness is being committed for refusing to answer a question, the warrant must set out that specific question.
Full Text of § 1994
Plain-English Summary
A warrant of commitment locks someone up, and this section makes sure the reason is written down where everyone can see it. Any warrant of commitment issued under this chapter has to state, with particularity, exactly what caused the commitment, not a general reference to disobedience or refusal.
The section gets more specific still for the most common trigger: a witness committed for refusing to answer a question. In that situation, the warrant has to spell out the actual question the witness refused to answer. That level of detail lets a reviewing court, or the witness, see precisely what was demanded and refused, rather than taking the commitment on faith.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a warrant of commitment state?
The cause of the commitment, stated with particularity rather than in general terms.
What extra detail is required if the commitment is for refusing to answer a question?
The warrant must set out the specific question the witness refused to answer.
Why does the law require this level of detail in the warrant?
So the reason for depriving someone of liberty is clear on the face of the document, allowing later review of whether the commitment was justified.
Amendment History
(Enacted in 1872. Amended Code Am.1880, c. 111, p. 115, § 1; Stats.2005, c. 474 (A.B.1150), § 6.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: warrant of commitment contents californiawitness committed refusing to answer question