mandamuses

man·da·mus   (mān-dā'məs)    n.  A writ issued by a superior court ordering a public official or body or a lower court to perform a specified duty. tr.v.   man·da·mused, man·da·mus·ing, man·da·mus·es To serve or compel with such a writ. [Latin mandāmus, we order (used in such a writ), first person pl. present tense of mandāre, to order; see man-2 in Indo-European roots.]

mandamus 

Main Entry: man·da·mus
Pronunciation: man-'dA-m&s
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, we enjoin, from mandare to enjoin
: an extraordinary writ issued by a court of competent jurisdiction to an inferior tribunal, a public official, an administrative agency, a corporation, or any person compelling the performance of an act usually only when there is a duty under the law to perform the act, the plaintiff has a clear right to such performance, and there is no other adequate remedy available; also : an action in the nature of a writ of mandamus in jurisdictions where the writ is abolished —compare cease-and-desist order at ORDER, INJUNCTION, STAY
NOTE: Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy and is issued usually only to command the performance of a ministerial act. It cannot be used to substitute the court's judgment for the defendant's in the performance of a discretionary act. —mandamus verb