TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 73 - OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
HEAD
Sec. 1503. Influencing or injuring officer or juror generally
STATUTE
(a) Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any
threatening letter or communication, endeavors to influence,
intimidate, or impede any grand or petit juror, or officer in or of
any court of the United States, or officer who may be serving at
any examination or other proceeding before any United States
magistrate judge or other committing magistrate, in the discharge
of his duty, or injures any such grand or petit juror in his person
or property on account of any verdict or indictment assented to by
him, or on account of his being or having been such juror, or
injures any such officer, magistrate judge, or other committing
magistrate in his person or property on account of the performance
of his official duties, or corruptly or by threats or force, or by
any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or
impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due
administration of justice, shall be punished as provided in
subsection (b). If the offense under this section occurs in
connection with a trial of a criminal case, and the act in
violation of this section involves the threat of physical force or
physical force, the maximum term of imprisonment which may be
imposed for the offense shall be the higher of that otherwise
provided by law or the maximum term that could have been imposed
for any offense charged in such case.
(b) The punishment for an offense under this section is -
(1) in the case of a killing, the punishment provided in
sections 1111 and 1112;
(2) in the case of an attempted killing, or a case in which the
offense was committed against a petit juror and in which a class
A or B felony was charged, imprisonment for not more than 20
years, a fine under this title, or both; and
(3) in any other case, imprisonment for not more than 10 years,
a fine under this title, or both.
SOURCE
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 769; Pub. L. 97-291, Sec. 4(c),
Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1253; Pub. L. 103-322, title VI, Sec.
60016, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat.
1974, 2147; Pub. L. 104-214, Sec. 1(3), Oct. 1, 1996, 110 Stat.
3017.)
HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 241 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch.
321, Sec. 135, 35 Stat. 1113; June 8, 1945, ch. 178, Sec. 1, 59
Stat. 234).
The phrase "other committing magistrate" was substituted for
"officer acting as such commissioner" in order to clarify meaning.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
AMENDMENTS
1996 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104-214 inserted at end "If the
offense under this section occurs in connection with a trial of a
criminal case, and the act in violation of this section involves
the threat of physical force or physical force, the maximum term of
imprisonment which may be imposed for the offense shall be the
higher of that otherwise provided by law or the maximum term that
could have been imposed for any offense charged in such case."
1994 - Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(K), which directed the
substitution of "fined under this title" for "fined not more than
$5,000", could not be executed because the words "fined not more
than $5,000" did not appear in text subsequent to amendment by Pub.
L. 103-322, Sec. 60016. See below.
Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 60016, designated existing provisions as
subsec. (a), substituted "magistrate judge" for "commissioner" in
two places and "punished as provided in subsection (b)" for "fined
not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or
both", and added subsec. (b).
1982 - Pub. L. 97-291, Sec. 4(c)(1), substituted "or juror" for
", juror or witness" after "officer" in section catchline.
Pub. L. 97-291, Sec. 4(c)(2), (3), substituted in text "grand"
for "witness, in any court of the United States or before any
United States commissioner or other committing magistrate, or any
grand" after "or impede any", and struck out "injures any party or
witness in his person or property on account of his attending or
having attended such court or examination before such officer,
commissioner, or other committing magistrate, or on account of his
testifying or having testified to any matter pending therein, or"
after "discharge of his duty, or".
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1982 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 97-291 effective Oct. 12, 1982, see section
9(a) of Pub. L. 97-291, set out as an Effective Date note under
section 1512 of this title.
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