The attorney general and district attorneys may issue subpoenas under their hands for witnesses to appear and testify on behalf of the commonwealth, and such subpoenas shall have the same force, and be obeyed in the same manner, and under the same penalties, in case of default, as if issued by the clerk of the court.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 68
Issuance of subpoenas by attorney general and district attorneys
Official source: Massachusetts Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Massachusetts statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.