28 U.S.C. § 1826
Recalcitrant witnesses
United States · Title 28 — JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE · Status: effective
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- Citation
- 28 U.S.C. § 1826, Recalcitrant witnesses, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/465365
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Full text
Whenever a witness in any proceeding before or ancillary to any court or grand jury of the United States refuses without just cause shown to comply with an order of the court to testify or provide other information, including any book, paper, document, record, recording or other material, the court, upon such refusal, or when such refusal is duly brought to its attention, may summarily order his confinement at a suitable place until such time as the witness is willing to give such testimony or provide such information. No period of such confinement shall exceed the life 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 The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.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 joint resolution making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally