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Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 871

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01/19/04

Sec. 871. Threats against President and successors to the
Presidency

      (a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in
    the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter
    carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document
    containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict
    bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the
    President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the
    order of succession to the office of President of the United
    States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully
    otherwise makes any such threat against the President,
    President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order
    of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect,
    shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
    years, or both.
      (b) The terms "President-elect" and "Vice President-elect" as
    used in this section shall mean such persons as are the apparent
    successful candidates for the offices of President and Vice
    President, respectively, as ascertained from the results of the
    general elections held to determine the electors of President and
    Vice President in accordance with title 3, United States Code,
    sections 1 and 2. The phrase "other officer next in the order of
    succession to the office of President" as used in this section
    shall mean the person next in the order of succession to act as
    President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections
    19 and 20.

                                AMENDMENTS                            
      1994 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103-322 substituted "fined under this
    title" for "fined not more than $1,000".
      1982 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97-297 inserted ", to kidnap," after
    "containing any threat to take the life of".
      1962 - Pub. L. 87-829 designated existing provisions as subsec.
    (a), extended the provisions of such subsection to include any
    other officer next on the order of succession to the office of
    President and the Vice-President-elect, added subsec. (b), and
    substituted "and successors to the Presidency" for ",
    President-elect, and Vice President" in section catchline.
      1955 - Act June 1, 1955, included in section catchline and in
    text, provision for penalties for threats against the
    President-elect and the Vice President.

                       SHORT TITLE OF 2000 AMENDMENT                   
      Pub. L. 106-544, Sec. 1, Dec. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 2715, provided
    that: "This Act [amending sections 879, 3056 and 3486 of this
    title, repealing section 3486A of this title, and enacting
    provisions set out as notes under section 3056 of this title,
    section 551 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and
    section 566 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure] may be
    cited as the 'Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000'."

Last modified: April 12, 2006