The power of a court to force a person to appear before it.

• A. Compulsory Joinder
• B. Discovery
• C. Personal Jurisdiction
• D. Guardian

Answer: (C)

Personal jurisdiction is the court's authority to require a person to appear and respond to a case. This power is what lets a court issue orders or compel attendance because it binds the person to the court’s process. For a court to exercise this authority fairly, the person must have sufficient connection to the forum state (satisfying due process) or be properly served; without it, the court cannot force the appearance or render binding judgments against that individual. The other terms relate to different ideas—compulsory joinder is about adding necessary parties, discovery concerns obtaining evidence, and a guardian is a person who may protect someone’s interests—none of which describe the court’s power to compel someone to appear.