TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 13 - CIVIL RIGHTS
HEAD
Sec. 245. Federally protected activities
STATUTE
(a)(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed as indicating
an intent on the part of Congress to prevent any State, any
possession or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of
Columbia, from exercising jurisdiction over any offense over which
it would have jurisdiction in the absence of this section, nor
shall anything in this section be construed as depriving State and
local law enforcement authorities of responsibility for prosecuting
acts that may be violations of this section and that are violations
of State and local law. No prosecution of any offense described in
this section shall be undertaken by the United States except upon
the certification in writing of the Attorney General, the Deputy
Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, or any Assistant
Attorney General specially designated by the Attorney General that
in his judgment a prosecution by the United States is in the public
interest and necessary to secure substantial justice, which
function of certification may not be delegated.
(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the
authority of Federal officers, or a Federal grand jury, to
investigate possible violations of this section.
(b) Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, by force
or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates or interferes
with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with -
(1) any person because he is or has been, or in order to
intimidate such person or any other person or any class of
persons from -
(A) voting or qualifying to vote, qualifying or campaigning
as a candidate for elective office, or qualifying or acting as
a poll watcher, or any legally authorized election official, in
any primary, special, or general election;
(B) participating in or enjoying any benefit, service,
privilege, program, facility, or activity provided or
administered by the United States;
(C) applying for or enjoying employment, or any perquisite
thereof, by any agency of the United States;
(D) serving, or attending upon any court in connection with
possible service, as a grand or petit juror in any court of the
United States;
(E) participating in or enjoying the benefits of any program
or activity receiving Federal financial assistance; or
(2) any person because of his race, color, religion or national
origin and because he is or has been -
(A) enrolling in or attending any public school or public
college;
(B) participating in or enjoying any benefit, service,
privilege, program, facility or activity provided or
administered by any State or subdivision thereof;
(C) applying for or enjoying employment, or any perquisite
thereof, by any private employer or any agency of any State or
subdivision thereof, or joining or using the services or
advantages of any labor organization, hiring hall, or
employment agency;
(D) serving, or attending upon any court of any State in
connection with possible service, as a grand or petit juror;
(E) traveling in or using any facility of interstate
commerce, or using any vehicle, terminal, or facility of any
common carrier by motor, rail, water, or air;
(F) enjoying the goods, services, facilities, privileges,
advantages, or accommodations of any inn, hotel, motel, or
other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests,
or of any restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, lunch counter, soda
fountain, or other facility which serves the public and which
is principally engaged in selling food or beverages for
consumption on the premises, or of any gasoline station, or of
any motion picture house, theater, concert hall, sports arena,
stadium, or any other place of exhibition or entertainment
which serves the public, or of any other establishment which
serves the public and (i) which is located within the premises
of any of the aforesaid establishments or within the premises
of which is physically located any of the aforesaid
establishments, and (ii) which holds itself out as serving
patrons of such establishments; or
(3) during or incident to a riot or civil disorder, any person
engaged in a business in commerce or affecting commerce,
including, but not limited to, any person engaged in a business
which sells or offers for sale to interstate travelers a
substantial portion of the articles, commodities, or services
which it sells or where a substantial portion of the articles or
commodities which it sells or offers for sale have moved in
commerce; or
(4) any person because he is or has been, or in order to
intimidate such person or any other person or any class of
persons from -
(A) participating, without discrimination on account of race,
color, religion or national origin, in any of the benefits or
activities described in subparagraphs (1)(A) through (1)(E) or
subparagraphs (2)(A) through (2)(F); or
(B) affording another person or class of persons opportunity
or protection to so participate; or
(5) any citizen because he is or has been, or in order to
intimidate such citizen or any other citizen from lawfully aiding
or encouraging other persons to participate, without
discrimination on account of race, color, religion or national
origin, in any of the benefits or activities described in
subparagraphs (1)(A) through (1)(E) or subparagraphs (2)(A)
through (2)(F), or participating lawfully in speech or peaceful
assembly opposing any denial of the opportunity to so participate
-
shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one
year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed
in violation of this section or if such acts include the use,
attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives,
or fire shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more
than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts
committed in violation of this section or if such acts include
kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an
attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years
or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death. As used in this
section, the term "participating lawfully in speech or peaceful
assembly" shall not mean the aiding, abetting, or inciting of other
persons to riot or to commit any act of physical violence upon any
individual or against any real or personal property in furtherance
of a riot. Nothing in subparagraph (2)(F) or (4)(A) of this
subsection shall apply to the proprietor of any establishment which
provides lodging to transient guests, or to any employee acting on
behalf of such proprietor, with respect to the enjoyment of the
goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or
accommodations of such establishment if such establishment is
located within a building which contains not more than five rooms
for rent or hire and which is actually occupied by the proprietor
as his residence.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to deter any
law enforcement officer from lawfully carrying out the duties of
his office; and no law enforcement officer shall be considered to
be in violation of this section for lawfully carrying out the
duties of his office or lawfully enforcing ordinances and laws of
the United States, the District of Columbia, any of the several
States, or any political subdivision of a State. For purposes of
the preceding sentence, the term "law enforcement officer" means
any officer of the United States, the District of Columbia, a
State, or political subdivision of a State, who is empowered by law
to conduct investigations of, or make arrests because of, offenses
against the United States, the District of Columbia, a State, or a
political subdivision of a State.
(d) For purposes of this section, the term "State" includes a
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any
commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
SOURCE
(Added Pub. L. 90-284, title I, Sec. 101(a), Apr. 11, 1968, 82
Stat. 73; amended Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, Sec. 7020(a), Nov.
18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4396; Pub. L. 101-647, title XII, Sec. 1205(b),
Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4830; Pub. L. 103-322, title VI, Sec.
60006(c), title XXXII, Sec. 320103(c), title XXXIII, Sec.
330016(1)(H), (L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1971, 2109, 2147; Pub.
L. 104-294, title VI, Sec. 604(b)(14)(C), (37), Oct. 11, 1996, 110
Stat. 3507, 3509.)
AMENDMENTS
1996 - Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104-294 amended Pub. L. 103-322, Sec.
320103(c). See 1994 Amendment notes below.
1994 - Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(L),
substituted "shall be fined under this title" for "shall be fined
not more than $10,000" before ", or imprisoned not more than ten
years" in concluding provisions.
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(H), substituted "shall be fined
under this title" for "shall be fined not more than $1,000" before
", or imprisoned not more than one year" in concluding provisions.
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 320103(c)(4)-(6), in concluding provisions,
inserted "from the acts committed in violation of this section or
if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated
sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an
attempt to kill," after "death results" and substituted "shall be
fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for
life, or both" for "shall be subject to imprisonment for any term
of years or for life".
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 320103(c)(3), which provided for amendment
identical to Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(L), above, was
repealed by Pub. L. 104-294, Sec. 604(b)(14)(C).
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 320103(c)(2), as amended by Pub. L. 104-
294, Sec. 604(b)(37), inserted "from the acts committed in
violation of this section or if such acts include the use,
attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives,
or fire" after "bodily injury results" in concluding provisions.
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 320103(c)(1), which provided for amendment
identical to Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(H), above, was
repealed by Pub. L. 104-294, Sec. 604(b)(14)(C).
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 60006(c), in concluding provisions,
inserted ", or may be sentenced to death" before ". As used in this
section".
1990 - Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101-647 added subsec. (d).
1988 - Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 100-690 substituted ", the Deputy"
for "or the Deputy" and inserted ", the Associate Attorney General,
or any Assistant Attorney General specially designated by the
Attorney General" after "Deputy Attorney General".
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1996 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 104-294 effective Sept. 13, 1994, see
section 604(d) of Pub. L. 104-294, set out as a note under section
13 of this title.
FAIR HOUSING
Section 101(b) of Pub. L. 90-284 provided that: "Nothing
contained in this section [enacting this section] shall apply to or
affect activities under title VIII of this Act [sections 3601 to
3619 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare]."
RIOTS OR CIVIL DISTURBANCES, SUPPRESSION AND RESTORATION OF LAW AND
ORDER; ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF
MILITARY SERVICE NOT SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION
Section 101(c) of Pub. L. 90-284 provided that: "The provisions
of this section [enacting this section] shall not apply to acts or
omissions on the part of law enforcement officers, members of the
National Guard, as defined in section 101(9) of title 10, United
States Code, members of the organized militia of any State or the
District of Columbia, not covered by such section 101(9), or
members of the Armed Forces of the United States, who are engaged
in suppressing a riot or civil disturbance or restoring law and
order during a riot or civil disturbance."
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