Federal · Title 31 — Money and Finance

31 U.S.C. § 3804: Subpoena authority

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute grants investigating officials authority to issue subpoenas for documents and witness testimony during investigations, and establishes procedures for federal courts to enforce subpoenas and punish disobedience as contempt.

Read the full statutory text
For the purposes of an investigation under section 3803(a)(1) of this title , an investigating official is authorized to require by subpoena the production of all information, documents, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and data not otherwise reasonably available to the authority. to administer oaths or affirmations; and to require by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of all information, documents, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and other data and documentary evidence which the presiding officer considers relevant and material to the hearing. In the case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpoena issued pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction to issue an appropriate order for the enforcement of any such subpoena. Any failure to obey such order of the court is punishable by such court as contempt. In any case in which an authority seeks the enforcement of a subpoena issued pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the authority shall request the Attorney General to petition any district court in which a hearing under this chapter is being conducted, or in which the person receiving the subpoena resides or conducts business, to issue such an order.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.