It is one of the oldest words in law: a written command from a court, ordering someone to do something or stop doing it. For centuries, the right writ was the difference between justice and helplessness.
A writ is a formal written order issued by a court or other legal authority, commanding a person or official to perform a specific act or to refrain from one. The word is plain old English, from writan, to write, and it is among the most ancient tools of the legal system.
In old English law, the writ was everything. You could not simply bring a complaint; you had to fit your grievance into one of the recognized forms of writ, each a different pre-set command. No matching writ, no remedy, however real your injury.
Several writs are pillars of liberty. The writ of habeas corpus commands jailers to justify a detention. The writ of mandamus commands an official to do their legal duty, the very writ at issue in Marbury v. Madison.
Modern courts have simplified the old maze of forms, but the concept endures. When a court issues a binding order, an injunction, a subpoena, a warrant, it is exercising the same ancient power: the written command that the law can enforce.
