18 U.S.C. § 2516
Authorization for interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications
United States · Title 18 — CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 18 U.S.C. § 2516, Authorization for interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/449658
- Permanent ID
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Full text
The Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General,11 See 1984 Amendment note below. or any Assistant Attorney General, any acting Assistant Attorney General, or any Deputy Assistant Attorney General or acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division or National Security Division specially designated by the Attorney General, may authorize an application to a Federal judge of competent jurisdiction for, and such judge may grant in conformity with section 2518 of this chapter an order authorizing or approving the interception of wire or oral communications by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a Federal agency having responsibility for the investigation of the offense as to which the application is made, when such interception may provide or has provided evidence of—
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.
- A bill to establish a uniform law on the subject of bankruptcies.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- An act to amend sections 351 and 1751 of title 18 of the United States Code to provide penalties for crimes against Cabinet officers, Supreme Court Justices, and Presidential staff members, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Child Protection Act of 1984House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Crime Control Act of 1990House: 313–1Senate: no recorded tally
- To revise, codify, and enact without substantive change certain general and permanent laws, related to transportation, as subtitles II, III, and V-X of title 49, United States Code, "Transportation", and to make other technical improvements in the Code.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
- Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement ActHouse: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- To codify without substantive change recent laws related to transportation and to improve the United States Code.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
- Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997
- To codify without substantive change laws related to transportation and to improve the United States Code.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Economic Espionage Act of 1996House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century
- Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001
- To implement the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings to strengthen criminal laws relating to attacks on places of public use, to implement the International Convention of the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, to combat terrorism and defend the Nation against terrorist acts, and for other purposes.
- 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization ActHouse: 400–4Senate: no recorded tally
- PROTECT Act
- Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
- Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005House: 415–4Senate: no recorded tally
- USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005
- Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012House: 416–4Senate: no recorded tally
- SAFE DOSES ActHouse: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015
- John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019
- Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Bipartisan Safer Communities ActHouse: 230–190Senate: no recorded tally