What is a Bench Warrant?

A bench warrant is a warrant for your immediate arrest. Any law enforcement officer who discovers that you have a warrant out for your arrest can take you into custody and bring you before the court.

The reason they are called “bench warrants” is because they are issued by the judge from the bench. For example, if the judge calls your case in court, but you are not present, the judge will likely issue a bench warrant.

A common way in which people with bench warrants are discovered and taken into custody is when they are stopped for traffic violations. The officer will run the person’s driver’s license in his or her computer and see that there is a bench warrant issued against them.